The Choice of a Family
by asc12
Summary: Dr. Lance Sweets volunteers to help at risk youths but does he sign himself up for more than he bargained for? Rated M based on violence only.
1. Chapter 1

So I need the disclaimer. I somehow forgot that I don't own a million dollar enity. Oh the things that slip my mind! I don't own Bones in any way.

* * *

The Choice of a Family by ASC 12

* * *

"Well when will you be done?" Booth asked tired of waiting already. "Fine, I'll just go alone. No it's fine Sweets never mind."

Booth hung up on Sweets and he knew it was a touch childish. He thought about calling the psychologist back and apologizing but he wasn't sure how to go about it. _Just because Sweets takes off a few hours to go help some kids at the outreach center doesn't mean you need to get mad at him. _Booth wasn't sure if it was his conscious telling him that or if it was Angela, Brennan or Cam, the ABC's of his life.

Booth wanted to admire Sweets for his work with the kids but mostly he was just angry about it. They had real cases to solve, real matters that could be helped despite Sweets philosophy that everyone can be saved. Booth wasn't so sure that included a lot of kids too ingrained in a certain life that did not accept change easily.

* * *

"Derek," Sweets began but was interrupted.

"It's D-Dog man!" The kid interrupted.

Sweets wanted to add many comments about how silly and stupid that sounded but he advised himself against it, he was trying to win over the kid's trust after all.

"Okay, D-Dog," Sweets continued.

"Man, you just sound stupid when you say it." The kid got up and left.

Sweets wanted to drop his head on the table and hammer his clipboard with it. _Don't these kids know they are shooting themselves in the foot? _He wondered to himself but the phrase "young and dumb" came to mind as well as "invincible and untouchable." If these kids didn't seek counseling they would be picked back up and sent back to juvenile detention.

Sweets recalled one of many conversations with Booth in which Booth reminded him that he couldn't help anyone who didn't want it. The phone call a few minutes ago with Booth seemed to hammer home the point of where Sweets time was needed. But Sweets was tired of finding the guy who did it, not stopping him at a point in life where he could make that change.

Sweets knew how his life was growing up and if it had stayed that way, surrounded by violence that he too probably would have ended up either dead in an ally with a needle in his arm by high school or a kid getting in every fight he could find. He hoped he had the patience his parents had with him.

"Hey, you Dr. Sweets?" The young man asked standing before him. Sweets looked up and offered a casual smile.

"Yes, I'm Dr. Lance Sweets." Sweets had decided to leave off his association with the FBI which went as far as to not bring his ID, gun or suit with him. He sat casual with jeans, Converse and non-descript tee.

"They told me I had to come and see you. I'm Barry. Barry Jones."

Sweets wanted to ask why no nickname. He shuffled thru his paperwork and quickly located one on Barry Jones or Barry Jaybird as it suggested. Sweets didn't think it was very flattering or a very well-constructed nick name. He noted though that the kid had told him his real name, suggesting he wanted very little association possibly with that life. Sweets felt enthusiastic about the possibility he might be able to help someone.

"Well Barry, can I call you Barry?" Sweets asked and the kid nodded. "I'm Dr. Lance Sweets and I'm assigned to you. I'd like to help, if I can."

"What do you do?"

"Well I'll be candid with you Barry." Sweets said guessing the kid was tired of being given a run around, a common problem with the kids in this program. "You have been selected for this program because you're at risk of falling into gangs and some behaviors that could lead you down the wrong road. If you continue to meet with me and we talk about things, maybe we can find some opportunities that will lead you to some good choices, a good life and out of jail."

The kid thought it over. "Like what kind of opportunities?"

Sweets had to smile as the kid was considering. Sweets saw himself chipping into the kid, bringing him back from the dark side.

* * *

Booth had the suspect arrested and in the back of the police cruiser. He had done it without Sweets help but it may have helped to have him there and then he might not have a sore shoulder. He looked forward to his tub with his jets later that night. Still he couldn't resist the thought that the kid he just arrested was 22 with roughly four pages of a rap sheet on him. He wondered if there might be something to what Sweets was doing and vowed to give the kid some space.

* * *

Sweets was beside himself excited but he hid it pretty well. He make eye contact with Barry when he came back but kept his cool.

"So Barry, what kind of stuff have you gotten involved in?" Sweets asked.

"You've got my record don't ya?" Barry asked and Sweets noticed a slight edge to Barry's voice.

"Yeah, I just didn't know if you knew what all the terms and stuff were on here, how old are you? Twelve?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"Well that's pretty young to have a full page of a rap sheet. It's nothing that would keep you out of a good school for now, petty stuff." Sweets said glancing at it though he had read it over a dozen times before.

"What good schools?" Barry asked thinking of how that's where he was recruited.

"Well if I can give good recommendations you could get transferred to a better school with tuition assistance."

"My mom ain't got the money for that stuff."

"Well, let's talk about your mom. What does she do for a living?" Sweets could tell by his reaction that it wasn't good and that he didn't want to talk about it. "Is your dad around?"

The kid laughed out loud at that one.

"My dad wasn't around when I grew up. My mom, she had problems too." Sweets said in half a truth and half lying. His parents weren't around sure, and his foster parents were disastrous to be kind in terms but Sweets wasn't about to pour his whole life onto this kid. Sweets would be more than happy to keep it from everyone had Gordon not spilled the beans as much as he had.

"So, what made you a doctor?"

"I got taken out of that family, a nice social worker found me a new a family and they helped me to become a doctor, to want to help people who are stuck in a bad situation like I once was."

"That's why you do this?" Barry asked, his voice softening.

"Yes. So that's why I'm trying to find out what I can do to help you."

"Oh. Can you get me a new family?"

Sweets wished it would be that easy. "Not exactly, but we can work something out. Does your mom need help?"

"She's on it again. She's been gone for days." Barry said and Sweets knew that a kid shouldn't have to worry about a mother being strung out for days.

"If your mom isn't around then I can check into getting you into a home." Sweets said though he often had reserves, as well as scars, from foster home memories.

"Nah, I don't want none of that. I can take care of myself."

Even if Sweets fast tracked the whole process it'd still take a while to get a 12 year old into a home. They weren't as easily helped as smaller children, who were even difficult at that. He decided to focus on the task at hand.

"What do you like to do, maybe we can get you into some programs. Do you like basketball, art?"

"I like to draw." Barry said with a small smile.

_Now there's a start _Sweets said digging in.

* * *

"What's the kid's name?" Booth asked at the coffee maker the next day.

"Barry Jones." Sweets said pouring a cup.

"And you ran his record right?"

"Yes Booth I ran his record." Sweets answered as though 'dad' was asking him if he gassed up the car before a long road trip. "It's small stuff, breaking and entering and stuff."

Booth almost spit out his coffee. "That's not small stuff Sweets."

"Well he broke into places where no one was there, they weren't residences and he was one of five kids. He just went along with what the older ones were doing."

Booth had asked about this project to make Sweets see Booth was okay with it. But now he was just getting a bad feeling.

"Booth it's fine, the kid wants help. I'd like to help someone for once instead of interrogate or charge them with a crime."

"Okay Sweets, if you say so." Booth couldn't argue with that but still his gut said it was a bad idea.


	2. Chapter 2

2.

**Sweets is volunteering at a youth outreach program where he meets 13 year old Barry Jones. It's somewhat of a last chance for these kids who are teetering on a life of crime. Sweets is excited to help Barry who is on the fence about where his life is about to head. Booth is trying to be supportive of Sweets' efforts to help the kids but he doesn't have a good feeling about it.**

"What have you been up to lately, keeping out of trouble?" Sweets asked and Barry shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess. I got enrolled in that class you told me about."

"How's that going?"

"Pretty good I guess, the teacher says if I work more on technique and less on tagging box cars I could be something."

"She might have something there." Sweets said with a smile and Barry grinned back.

"So Barry, can you tell me how you got involved in your first crimes?" Sweets asked. It had been the fourth time now that the kid had come back in two weeks.

Sweets was feeling good, he was meeting with his FBI patients and making headway with them, doing profiles for agents and getting lots of slaps on the backs from bosses, he and Booth arrested a guy, Dr. Brennan didn't argue with his assessment of Hodgins addiction to bugs based on psychological backing and he found a twenty dollar bill in the jeans he put on today. All in all, it had been a great two weeks since he had started here and he was feeling pretty good about it. Now if he could only meet a girl who wasn't a carbon copy of Daisy then life would be even better as he put the foray with Jessica Warren out of his mind as his attention returned to Barry.

"Couple of kids from school, they said I should come and help them." Barry said bordering between ashamed and proud to be asked.

"Do you help them often?"

Barry didn't want to answer.

"This is just between us Barry, I'm just trying to get an idea of what they try and pull you into. You don't have to go you know." He paused a moment then continued. "Was that your first robbery?"

"No, they had some guy, owed them money."

Sweets tried not to react too strongly. This wasn't on the kid's rap sheet, this was a retaliation crime.

"Did you get involved?"

"No, I just stood back and watched. When they go after them, I just watch, for now, look out."

"How did you feel about being there?" Sweets knew that Barry witnessing a gang taking retaliation on an individual was going to be a good indicator of how Barry assessed what was right and wrong.

"I don't know how I felt." Barry answered with a response that concerned Sweets.

* * *

"How is going Sweets? Why the long face?" Booth asked stopping in Sweets office with a folder.

"Oh, fine." Sweets said still troubled by the kid.

"You wanna tell me about it? Isn't that what you always tell people, get their feelings out there?" Booth offered a smile because he wanted to encourage Sweets to tell him. He hadn't seen the psychologist this pensive in a while.

"The kid, Barry, he was involved in some crimes that weren't on his sheet, retaliation. When I asked him how he felt about being involved he wasn't sure if it was wrong or not."

"That means something right?" Booth asked trying to follow along.

"At that age he will take on the ability to judge what's right or wrong _and _understand fully that what he's doing is for malicious reasons. It's one reason I wanted to become involved in the program, get them going the other way before it was too late."

"And you're concerned it's too late." Booth said understanding. "Well, how about we take a breather and grab some lunch eh? On you." Booth joked about Sweets picking up the tab but Sweets only nodded. _Not a good sign_ Booth said to himself, he's better bring Brennan along.

* * *

"So Sweets, Booth tells me you're having some trouble with the kid you are working with." Brennan said while eating her salad.

Sweets gave Booth a bit of grin that read _need back up did you?_ To which Booth just looked away from.

"Yeah, but I've been thinking about it. I think I might have some ideas on how to get to the kid." Sweets said now a little more upbeat than before.

"Oh yeah?" Booth said.

"Yeah, I mean, he did say he felt good about the incident, he just said he didn't know. If I can show him the effects of remorse and regret then maybe…"

"There you go Sweets!" Booth said happy. "Now you're over that perhaps we can look at this case."

Sweets nodded, he suspected there was an ulterior motive to Booth trying to cheer him up with lunch, _oh wait, who was paying for lunch again?_

"Yes, we could use some help Sweets, this man was found at the bottom of a sewer." Brennan said as Booth handed him photos. He would never get over looking at crime scene photos at lunch and pushed the half eaten plate of food away. Booth noticed but was somewhat glad that part of Sweets wasn't able to completely stomach death, it left him sort of naïve and Booth liked working with someone so youthful and unjaded.

"The victim was weighed down so that even dead he would be forced to look down into the water." Brennan explained.

"Well it could suggest that the murderer showed remorse and didn't want to see the victim. Placing him in the sewer would suggest he saw him as garbage however."

"As always your soft science sounds inconclusive." Brennan announced.

"Well I don't have a _whole _lot to go on here Dr. Brennan." Sweets said with a roll of his eyes. "I'm a profiler not a magician."

* * *

"Hey, hey, hey!" Big D shouted to the other eight as they walked along. "Isn't that the dude who arrested Slim J?"

"Yeah Slim J got him in the shoulder but he still got him. Damn." DJ-D announced.

"Hey, I know that guy." D-Dog announced.

"Yeah, we know he's a Fed…"

"No, the other guy, he works at the center man." D-dog specified. "I thought he was some sort of doctor or some crap like that. Hey where's BJ-Bird?"

"Stop calling me that it sounds stupid." Barry said stepping forward.

"You got to earn a better name little man." D-dog explained. "Now why don't you tell me why your friend there is talking with a Fed in his suit and all!?"

Barry's head felt like it was on fire with anger and betrayal.

"Man I bet his was playing little man here for information!" DJ-D announced.

"No, it ain't like that, he was…" Barry said.

"Yeah, what was he doing, asking questions about what you been up to?" They all laughed after D-Dog said knowing it was the case, only under different terms.

The precarious and threatening group continued down the sidewalks doing their best to intimidate those they passed. Barry took his phone out of his pocket and dialed the number given to him.

* * *

"Hang on a second Booth." Sweets said taking his cell from his pocket. "Hello, Dr. Lance Sweets. Hey Barry. No I'm just having lunch with some friends. Yeah, we still have an appointment later." Sweets was confused why he asked that but Barry hung up.

Booth was staring at Sweets.

"What?" Sweets asked.

"You gave the kid your cell phone number?"

"Yeah, I felt like I was making headway and I felt like if the kid was in trouble, maybe he'd call. Look, anything to keep him out of trouble." Sweets said wondering if the rest of his lunch might settle now that the corpse photos were put away.

Booth wasn't sure what to say that wouldn't come out as condescending so he ate the last of his cold fries while he thought.

"Well, I want you to come and question this guy's wife with me." Booth said and Sweets readily agreed. He wanted to keep an eye on Sweets for a while for a reason based on his gut's suggestion. He knew Sweets would say yes, and it reminded Booth of this Barry kid, so eager for the approval of the gang, just as Sweets was so eager of the approval of his team. Booth didn't like the similarities but he was pretty sure that he and the Jeffersonian didn't have malice on their minds when they got together.

* * *

Booth made a call from the other side of the SUV while Brennan and Sweets battled out either psychology or who was going to ride shotgun.

"Shaw, yeah can you do something for me?" Booth asked. "Run associates of Barry Jones, he's 13, kid Sweets has been working with. I want to know what gang he runs with. Yeah and Shaw, don't mention it to Sweets."

The argument settled, Sweets rolled his eyes as he jumped in the back seat while Brennan smiled as she got in the front passenger seat. Booth knew Sweets ran a background on the kid but he was more alarmed with the kid's "mentors". Sweets' naïve nature could be endearing at times but concerning at others, especially if he couldn't win a battle for shotgun.


	3. Chapter 3

3.

**The association with Sweets and Barry are going well until Barry spots Sweets with Booth, a known Federal Agent, at lunch with Sweets. Barry suspects that Sweets is not being honest with him. Booth looks into Barry's associates/fellow gang members.**

* * *

"You get anywhere on that chop shop circle?" Booth asked Sweets who was now seated in the front passenger seat since Brennan was dropped off at the Jeffersonian to look at sewer man.

"Huh? No, not really."

"Sweets, this is important. Look, I know your mind is on that kid and all, but I need you on the case too."

"Sure Booth it's just like there's a dozen profiles to go thru, half of them for you." Sweets whined.

"Well you didn't have trouble getting thru them before." Booth said under his breath and Sweets knew what Booth was inferring.

"I'll get to it tonight." Sweets promised with a heavy sigh. He knew that would be after his time with the kids at the center so it would be pretty late.

"Maybe your friends at the outreach might have some input."

"Booth, I can't betray their confidences for cases."

"I think that's exactly what you can do **since they are federal crimes!" **Booth said raising his voice near the end.

Sweets rubbed his forehead. He felt a bit like Barry, being pushed into something he wasn't exactly sure what was right or wrong to do.

"I honestly don't know Booth. I'm not that into the circle of their trust just yet." Sweets lied. He had quite a few hunches. While they didn't always talk to him directly he still had ears and his ease dropping skills were honed from a very young age. When your foster father is searching for you with only malice on his mind, you learn to listen for everything.

"Hey, earth to Sweets!" Booth called.

"Oh, sorry, what?" Sweets asked stirred from his not so pleasant memories.

"Look, I didn't mean to yell, I'm just…"

"Yeah, well I know that there has been buzz about the location. They know someone's on them and that someone is snitching on them but they don't know who."

"I have a guy in there." Booth said.

"Well, maybe you'd better get him to lay off or a while." Sweets suggested and for the first time in the conversation felt pretty good that he divulged, possibly saving a life.

"Thanks. I'll do that." Booth said and Sweets went back to looking out the window and back to his dark memories and the realization that he was still stuck in a perpetual cycle of being bossed around by someone older and bigger than he.

* * *

"So what did your Fed friend have to say?" D-Dog asked Barry.

"Nothing man. Just said he was at lunch." Barry said hanging onto a hope that Sweets was the genuine deal.

"With other Feds man." DJ-D reminded him.

"What you two been talkin' bout little man?" D-Dog asked again.

"Nothing, just school and…"

"And what you been doin' after school." D-Dog said.

Barry was getting angry.

"Man he don't care about you. You need to start making choices. It's us or him." The tall and imposing D-Dog said stepping forward. "Who you gonna pick little man?"

* * *

"Well thank you for your time mam." Booth said as he and Sweets left. "Well that was a waste of time."

Sweets said nothing and had been quiet for most of the interview with Booth suggesting something had come up in their conversation on the way there.

"Yeah, sounds like she wrote him off a while ago." Sweets said, more in the conversation than Booth thought.

"Look Sweets, about earlier, I know you want to help…"

"It's fine Agent Booth." Sweets said snapping. "I'm a big kid, I can take care of myelf."

"Alright Sweets." Booth said but didn't feel convinced.

The car ride back to the bureau was quiet. As they walked inside most of the agents were walking out as the day was done for most of them. Sweets cell was receiving a call but he didn't want to answer it. Booth was equally as distracted as Shaw was calling him back. Both were eager to leave the other.

"So see you later Sweets?"

"Yeah!" Sweets responded and they both retreated immediately to their respective offices.

* * *

"Shaw, what do you got for me?" Booth said finding her in the bull pen.

"Well I found him pretty quick considering he has a pretty average name. But his association with the center helped. He's the youngest member of the gang, the South East 8."

"Okay, and what's their deal?"

"Well they run mostly B & E jobs, loaning money and collecting. For being the South East 8 there isn't always 8 of them."

"Revolving door?"

"Yeah, a door that leads to the morgue more than jail."

Booth nodded, he had a feeling about this. "Loaning and collecting, they're pretty into retaliation, that how they lose most of their people?"

"Yeah, none of them are the original members and the gang is about 7 months old." Shaw explained while shaking her head. "Oldest guy known to be in it is 19."

"Agent Booth, it concerned me when you mentioned Dr. Sweets was working with someone associated with this gang. They've got over 42 open homicides associated with them. We haven't been able to pin them with anything since they're pretty much dead before we can get anyone."

"I hear you Shaw, loud and clear." Booth said heading for Sweets office.

* * *

"Hey Barry, what's going on?" Sweets said once in the safety of his office away from the prying and judgmental ears of Booth.

"Dr. Sweets, I need your help." Barry said breathless.

Sweets was alarmed.

"Look, are you a Fed or a doctor?" Barry asked point blank.

"It's a little complicated Barry, but I'm always above all, a doctor, now are you in trouble, do you need help?"

Barry sensed that Sweets was being true and honest in his offer to help.

"Yeah, I'm in trouble. I have to make a choice, now and I don't think I can hide out forever, they're gonna…"

"Look Barry, there might be a way out. I do have a friend that's an agent. If you can give him information he might be able to get a deal for you to get out of there."

"Really?" The kid asked, his voice full of hope.

"Yeah, I can make a call. But first are you safe?"

"No, not really."

"Well where are you, I'll come and get you." Sweets said ready to scribble down the address.

"Fifth and Central. I'll be hiding out until you get here. You're coming right?" The kid's voice was full of promise.

"Yeah, I'm coming."

Sweets hung up and called Caroline Julian to see if she could make the kid a deal. She wasn't in so he left a message. Then Sweets decided to change into his 'street' clothes to look less like a fed in a suit. Sweets picked up his bag he had planned to change into after work and in seconds looked even younger than usual in his jeans, ringer tee and grey Converse. He stuffed them in a bag and shoved the bag under his desk. He felt like he should be in a hurry. He grabbed the address and left for the hall. His phone call and change of clothes only took a few minutes. Sweets could hear Booth heading down the hall so he turned for the staircase instead.

Booth decided to knock but upon no answer opened the door anyway.

"Sweets?" Booth called but no one was in the office.

Booth had a suspicion that Sweets wasn't letting Booth in right now and that didn't sit well with the agent. _Why does Sweets keep forgetting we're on the same damn team?! _ Booth wondered as he approached the young doctor's desk. He pulled out his phone and called Sweets cell, only to hear a muffled ring nearby.

Booth pulled back the desk chair only to find a hastily duffle bag stuffed with a suit. Sweets pulled the suit out only to find Sweets cell in the pocket, left there in his hasty exit.

_And the kid wonders why I worry, _Booth thought to himself as he headed back to Shaw's desk.

"Agent Booth!" Shaw said surprised to see him again. "What did I forget?"

"Tell me where they do their business."

* * *

The sun had set about a half hour before Sweets got across town to Fifth & Central. He would have preferred if Barry had called him about three hours ago instead of near 7 p.m. and dark out. This wasn't the part of town that seemed really concerned with replacing street lamps that were out.

He knew Barry said he was hiding so Sweets parked and got out on the empty street. He half wondered where everyone was and was half glad that no one was around. Sweets walked along one side of the street wondering if he should be calling out the kid's name but he wasn't a lost dog. Sweets felt a shiver and wondered if it was because the cool night air was settling in or if it was because…

"Oh! Hey Barry." Sweets said as the kid stepped into the dim light from a store lamp above gave off. "I was looking for you."

"Yeah, you found me." Barry said when another eight larger, taller and more menacing figures stepped in behind him. "And it's not Barry anymore, it's Big Dog."

Even the way he said it sounded silly but Sweets knew this wasn't time to laugh. He knew they were trying to sway the kid in their direction by treating him with more respect with a "big" name, literally too.

"Yeah, you see man, you don't need to be here no more." DJ-D announced carrying something in his hand that Sweets couldn't see.

"Look, I'll go if you want but I want Barry to come with me." Sweets said hoping the words weren't getting caught in his throat as he spoke. The group seemed to be encircling him.

"No man, you see little man here, I mean, Big Dog here, he knows who is family is." DJ-D looked down at Barry to make sure he was still in agreement.

"Yeah, this is my family now."

Sweets wanted to argue to get Barry to change his mind but mostly now he was more interested in the mathematics of the situation.

"Fine, you make whatever choice you want." Sweets said backing up to leave.

"Not so fast dog, see you lied to my family here. You said you were a doctor, but you're a Fed and Feds ain't part of our family." D-Dog explained as he waved the bat in his hand in front of Sweets face.

Sweets tried to keep a calm expression and figured some fancy explaining might just clear this up and if all else failed, maybe he'd just make a run for it and call the cops. _Call….where's your cell phone dummy? _Sweets asked himself mentally checking his pockets while taking his eyes off D-Dog. _Shit._

"You're not my family!" Barry, Big Dog said while rushing forward and hitting Sweets across the head with a pipe of some kind. Sweets wasn't expecting it, not from Barry and the strike threw his concentration.

There was no chance to run now that Sweets head swam in disorientation. In fifteen seconds Sweets needed not worry about running, his legs were useless, in thirty seconds his arms felt destroyed, in forty five seconds he knew that over 18 sets of shoes had kicked him and by the time a minute had passed he couldn't open his eyes. Sixty more seconds went by though it swam in a sea of approaching darkness and anguish.

DJ-D leaned in to shout in Sweets ear. "See what you can accomplish in such a short amount of time when you have friends to help out!?" They all laughed when he was done.

D-Dog handed Big Dog a pocket knife. "Up to you kid, you want to finish him or you can leave him there night and be dead by morning? Ain't no one going to find him here, no one around her is calling anyone." He added looking around at the empty streets. People knew well enough to stay out of their business.

"Which way is worse?" Big Dog asked.

"Leaving him here means it's going to take longer." D-Dog explained.

"Let's do it that way." He said handing the knife back.

"Good job kid."

The group left but Sweets only thought he could piece together was that morning was too optimistic a timeline for him to make it.


	4. Chapter 4

4.

_So I know we haven't seen much of the rest of the cast in the story. I sometimes feel like I'm trying to force them into the story or make it all about what a great "team" they are. This one I liked the idea of Sweets doing something on his own but since Booth works at the same place as he, so they will interact more. But I think the usual suspects may show up here in a bit…_

* * *

**Booth & Sweets are not seeing eye to eye on the outreach program when Booth pushes Sweets about falling behind on his work. Sweets thinks of Booth as yet another overbearing person in his life telling him what to do and hides his activity with the kid he's trying to help. Booth finds out from Agent Shaw that the gang is quite violent. Meanwhile the kid, Barry, has chosen the gang/family over Sweets' help. Barry, now Bid Dog, lures Sweets to meet him under the guise he is in trouble but quickly the situation changes to Sweets being beaten nearly to death.**

* * *

Booth was drumming the steering wheel with his thump. He wanted to force a call, a thought, an action, anything. He looked at Sweets cell phone sitting his the passenger seat beside him. He had tossed there as soon as he got to the car but it was a poor replacement for Sweets himself.

Booth felt the tapping of his thumb against the spherical driving implement increase as time passed. It was sometime past eight, he had driven around for an hour. Sweets had left around six thirty meaning he had been unaccounted for around an hour. Booth didn't like when his people were unaccounted for- and for over an hour.

Booth's cell phone rang and he jumped for it.

"What, what have heard?" Booth asked seeing it was Agent Shaw that was calling.

"Nothing new sir. They are sending another car to the area but I'm getting resistance form the police department to get more help on scene."

"Why the hell is that?" Booth asked though he didn't intend to direct his anger towards Shaw.

"They only have so many for this time of night and they don't have a specific threat to know there is an issue. It's also a big area that the gang covers." Shaw explained. "I've tried to explain…"

"It's okay Shaw." Booth said. "I understand. Just call me if any of the officers find anything okay?"

Booth was getting another call.

"Hi Bones."

"Booth, did you find Sweets?" Brennan asked casually.

"No, nothing yet."

"Well I am reviewing the victim from the sewer and…"

"Bones, can we go over this later?" Booth was not able to concentrate on that case at the moment, his gut was reacting to something elsewhere.

"I don't understand, Dr. Sweets is a grown man…"

"Who left without his phone to help a kid who's involved with a **_very_ violent **gang."

Brennan stopped sipping wine. "Oh, I guess I didn't realize that part. Do you think Sweets could be in some sort of serious trouble?" Brennan hadn't paid attention to all the details when Booth told her he wouldn't be home yet. Now she found herself greatly concerned.

"Yeah, I would say pretty serious trouble." Booth said and saw Shaw was calling him back. His gut sent him a memo that it wasn't with good news.

The lone light gave off a yellowish sort of color. A sliver of an eye opening allowed Sweets to see the light reflecting off the sidewalk cement. The surface felt like it was embedded with spikes upon which he was lying.

He wasn't sure how much time had gone by. He knew he had passed out for a little while, it was like when you had too much to drink, you eagerly and easily welcomed slumber only to wake later and feel terrible. Adrenaline now coursed through Sweets veins causing him to remain conscious as he tried to figure how much time had passes, where the gang had gone and more importantly, how to get out of here.

Movement was quickly placed in the questionable category as Sweets was barely able to move his fingers let alone his arm to even pry his eyes further open. As the world came into focus it was thrown back out as his head began to pound like a giant hammer was hitting it. He wasn't sure it was a hammer, but it looked like one of the guys had a baseball bat. He was fairly certain the words "Louisville Slugger" could be read on the bones of his ribs they had hit him so hard.

Sweets gasped for breath, his chest feeling like he was in a vice script that was tightened to the lowest setting. He pushed on the side of his hand to sit up but pain rocked thru his entire body not allowing for any lift. A realization came to Sweets thru the pain at that moment, there was no way he was going to make it.

Dying on a sidewalk because he had believed in some kid was not the way he wanted to go out. He could hear Booth reading about eulogy calling him an idiot and couldn't stand the thought. He convinced himself it wasn't as bad as it felt, he could do this and walk it off like a man.

His left leg was under him and didn't hurt near like the other one but neither seemed in the condition to move. He heard voices, it seemed like above but his head buzzed so loudly he couldn't tell quite where they were coming from, or who. His stomach turned at the thought they might be coming back. He coughed and felt his mouth fill with the taste of iron. He pushed the thoughts aside to see where the yellow light came to an end. He had to get to the darkness until he had a plan, just in case _they_ were coming back.

The darkness was only a few feet away but the distance felt more like miles. With one hand Sweets dug his fingers in the cement to pull him. The other hand had immobile fingers so he left those alone and used the side of his hand. Every inch he pulled himself forward sent shock waves of pain thru this body. The ground under his broken chest screamed as it was pulled across what felt like hot coals.

His torso now in the dark Sweets had no option to pull himself forward anymore as he was at the side of the building. He took a breath and biting his lip not to scream he rolled to one side, crushing what was left of his bone structure. The motion made him sick and nauseous but the taste of iron filled his mouth before the vomit could rise completely.

Sweets tried to stay alert as he watched the strip of light for the return of his assailants from the safety of the darkness. The wouldn't be able to see him here, he told himself. The only issue was, neither could anyone else.

* * *

"Agent Booth, it's been almost two hours, they're cutting it back to one patrol vehicle."

Booth couldn't say that he could argue with them. He was starting to wonder if he was on a police chase.

"What?" Shaw was saying off the phone with Booth. Booth perked back up. "Where's the location. It's empty? Okay, stay on the line." She was returning to Booth's line. "Booth, they found Sweets car. It's intact, it's empty but it's at about 5th and Central."

Booth slammed on the gas.

* * *

Sweets could hear a sound, an echo. It made a loud sound. He listened for it because he couldn't see it. His eyes wouldn't open anymore. He felt like they wanted to but they felt heavy, big, puffy and stuck shut. He didn't like that he couldn't open them, he had to be alert he had to see. He tried to breathe steady as he tried to think of some way to get out of here but not being able to see was going to make it impossible. Just about as impossible as getting his body to move, it seemed stricken, stuck at the moment.

The sound came back, it was a drip and a hum. He felt dizzy and nauseous again and like something was biting at him but all over. He felt hot for the adrenaline rush but the biting sensation he recognized as the cold setting in.

_Should have brought a jacket_ Sweets said to himself and realized the irony of that. The cell phone would have been a lot better because then he realized he could have told Booth that he was right and that he was sorry. The pain intensified to a point where thoughts became incoherent and in Sweets mind, irrelevant.

* * *

Booth found the officers near Sweets car and approached them.

"Have you searched the area?" Booth asked.

"We only got here a few minutes ago." The officer said turning off his flashlight. "We were checking out the car, nothing jumps out at me out it. I'm officer Bridges, this is Stalcup."

"I think we should fan out." Booth said looking around eagerly.

"Agent Booth, I don't know if you're familiar with this area but it's not the kind of place you separate and go on a stroll." Officer Stalcup announced.

"Okay, well what do you suggest?"

"Why did you say your friend was down here?" Officer Bridges asked as though needing a reason to continue the search.

Booth got the idea he was asking if it was for a hooker or something. "He was trying to help a kid."

The officer nodded like he had tried it once too. "Okay well I'm going to suggest we stay in our vehicles and search. Call me on the horn if you see something. We'll go east and west, you go north and south. Go slow and keep your lights on high."

Booth nodded at the sensible plan and quickly reentered his SUV. He knew if Sweets was on foot he wouldn't have gone far. He also recognized the fact that if Sweets had been down here for two hours and hadn't gone back to the car he was either talking to the kid or in a bad situation.

"He's talking to the kid. Sweets likes to talk, probably talking the poor kid's ear off." Booth said to himself as he searched with an eagle eye every nook and space on the street side.

"Yeah, talking, that's all, in a nice quiet place." Booth continued to say under his breath. He started to wonder, what if Sweets was inside some place, maybe the kid lived here. _In a place with no lights on? Ugh. Hey there's a light. _Both said to himself. A brief second of shiny light caught his attention. Booth stopped the slow moving vehicle and backed it up and went forward again to find what had caught his attention, the light reflected off the ground at something, a pool of blood.

Booth slammed on the break and threw the gear in park. He reached in his pocket for the flashlight and heard a sound, a shuffle of rubber against the cement.

"Sweets?" Booth said softly in case it wasn't. He didn't hear anything again and turned the flashlight on and instantly dropped it after it flashed over the figure on the ground facing him. Booth knew it was Sweets more by gut than by recognition. Booth ignored the light and sprinted forward.

Sweets could hear nothing but felt someone grab at his shoulder and he coiled back slamming into the brick building as though trying to get away.

"Sweets stop, it's me, it's Booth!" Booth tried not to shout and attract attention.

"Booth?" A whisper came from the dark as Sweets paused in his struggle to get away.

"Yeah, what the hell happened? No you know what? Let's get out of here." Booth said standing up. He had only seen Sweets for a brief second as the light flashed over him and knew the must have been knocked down or roughed up a little to be lying on the ground. Booth was so relieved to find Sweets that he hadn't thought much more of it.

Booth stood up and reached down to pull Sweets up with little thought so Booth did not hold a firm grasp on the injured psychologist. Sweets toppled back to the ground with a hard thump and a gasp of agony from Sweets.

"Sweets?" Booth asked again turning to see Sweets now lying back on the ground in the yellow light. Booth saw Sweets lying face down next to the pool of blood from earlier and Booth added up that things were far more serious than he had just considered. He leaned in forward again to touch Sweets shoulder.

"I'm sorry." Sweets said and Booth wondered what Sweets was sorry about it.

"No, Sweets, what are you talking about?" Booth said while rolling Sweets to face Booth so he could hear him better. Booth almost fell off the feet he was perched on when he saw Sweets in the light. His eyes were trapped shut and shrouded in red circles slowly turning to a hint of a bluish purple, his lip was cut open and bleeding, dried blood in the corner of his mouth and at his hairline, his cheek cut on one side, bruises forming on the other.

After taking in the mere appearance of Sweets' face, Sweets fell back, unable to hold himself up under his own weight. Booth grabbed Sweets' shoulders to catch him from falling out of instinct but the grasp on the broken man's shoulders caused Sweets to seethe in pain. Booth understood that the injuries went far deeper than he was grasping. Booth slowly lowered Sweets to the ground.

"I'll be right back Sweets." Booth said as calmly as he could. Sweets hands automatically reached out, an obvious fear emanating from him from his inability to see and Booth couldn't blame him.

"I promise Sweets, I'm just going to the car to call an ambulance okay. I can see you the whole time okay, you're not alone." Booth said each sentence slowly so he knew Sweets heard him. Sweets nodded and Booth stood up, surprisingly nervous to walk even those few feet back to the car. He grabbed his radio and called into the cop's radio number they had left him with. He wanted back up on the scene in case anyone else happened to show up.

"Stalcup, Bridges, this is Special Agent Booth. I need an ambulance, we have an agent down." Booth was careful not to say too much in case anyone might be listening in on the radio.

"Copy that Agent Booth. Your location?"

Booth looked up and found an address and relayed it.

"We are en route." And the line was dead.

Booth ran back around the car to Sweets who had rolled on his side and was coughing. Booth waited till he was done to roll him back and see the blood coming from Sweets mouth. Booth gently rolled Sweets on his back though Sweets resisted.

Booth pulled out his cell phone to call Brennan.

"Booth, did you find…"

"Bones I need your help." Booth said in a tone that drew in Brennan's attention and filled it with apprehension. "I've got an ambulance on the way but Sweets, he's coughing up blood, what do I do?"

Brennan felt her nerves shoot in every direction but she tried to compartmentalize and concentrate on the task at hand. "Does he have a cut in his mouth, on his lip that is causing it to run down his throat?" Brennan asked but she couldn't help but picture what Booth must be looking at for his voice to waver like it just had. There as a helplessness she hadn't heard in his voice until now.

"I don't know, it's dark, I can't see very well."

"He could have injuries to his internal organs, check for bruising on his torso."

Booth heard a car pull up and jumped until he saw it was the cops. They approached.

"Dear God." Bridges said with much seriousness in his voice while approaching. Stalcup stood standing guard at any possible reappearances of the gang.

"Booth, what's going on?" Brennan asked hearing the other man's tone.

"I'm checking Bones." Booth said trying to roll Sweets back on his back but he seemed to prefer his side. Officer Bridges knelt down to assist in helping Booth pull up Sweets shirt only to see his chest was covered in bruises and an uneven surface. Bridges went to touch Sweets side but Sweets jolted in pain, causing additional pain. Sweets never once cried out and they weren't sure if it was because he was too terrified or his voice was too gone.

"Yeah Bones, there's a lot of bruising." Booth said trying not to alarm her at what he had just seen.

"Hey, hey, heads up." Officer Stalcup said and everyone froze. "Okay, they turned. Are these guys on foot or in a car?"

"I dunno, Sweets?" Booth asked trying to get Sweets attention. "Where did they go, how did they get here?"

"Stupid, I know, I know." Sweets repeated.

"No forget about that, listen buddy, how did they get here, were they in a car?" Booth repeated but Sweets was fading fast.

"Where the hell is that ambulance?" Booth asked and Stalcup called in for an ETA.

"Ambulance is twenty minutes out." Stalcup said in disbelief.

"Twenty minutes?! Are you kidding me?" Booth shouted.

"They get a lot of business around here and they won't come in without a police escort. We're in a waiting queue." Bridges said in a tone that suggested he wasn't happy about the situation either.

Sweets breathing was becoming more labored and more disturbing.

"I'm not a doctor but that's not good is it?" Bridges asked.

"Booth," Brennan said still listening in. "If Sweets does have any internal bleeding you need to get him medical attention right away."

"Do you think we should move him though? This is bad." Bridges said looking down at the broken man before him. "I don't want to puncture a lung or something."

"Sweets, can you wait for the ambulance?" Booth asked as he saw Stalcup reach for his gun after hearing a noise in the distance.

"Sweets?" Booth asked again.

Sweets lips moved but Booth couldn't hear what he was saying. Booth reached for a pulse only to see the fingers on Sweets hands were poised in unnatural positions. Booth was consumed with rage and a sick feeling at the same time.

"We need to move him." Booth said and this time Bridges agreed.

"We're moving him. I'll call you back." Booth told Brennan and hung up.

Sounds of cars playing loud thumping music were down the street. They knew in any situation they would be out numbered should the gang reappear. Booth had to wonder just how brave that gang was with one of Sweets and he was guessing about 8 of them, based on what he knew about the gang.

"Let's put him in the back seat." Booth said opening the back passenger door. Stalcup stood at watch still while Booth returned and Bridges helped pick up Sweets. Every movement was an assault on Sweets who only cringed at the pain darting thru his tall frame.

Bridges got in the backseat of the car to maneuver Sweets in the best he could while Booth tried to hold steady Sweets legs. He noticed the left leg was twisted and twitched constantly. Booth knew that wasn't good as he went to shut the door but Sweets Converse stuck out too far. Bridges got out of the car from the opposite side and tried to pull Sweets closer but he was too tall lying flat. Booth grabbed Sweets leg to bend it causing Sweets to actually shout out in pain this time. Booth was racked with remorse for having caused it.

"Sorry Sweets." Booth said sheepishly but was glad they could now close the doors. Sweets buried his face in the seat, blood smearing as he did so. Bridges took a breath and closed the door as he looked down at the broken man.

Booth was jumping in the driver's seat as Bridges turned to him. "We'll escort to the hospital."

Booth nodded and they pulled away. Booth glanced back to the figure in the back, contorted and broken, too quiet. He wouldn't have blamed Sweets for crying out, shouting or plain old balling in pain- but he had barely made any sounds. Booth had a flash to a memory and a set of scars and wondered idly for a moment if Sweets had learned at too young of an age to be quiet when beaten.

* * *

"Yeah man what's up?" DJ-D said answering the phone and staring at Big Dog. "You took a walk where?" Big Dog's eyes grew with concern. "Yeah and what do you mean he ain't there no more?"


	5. Chapter 5

**5.**

_Team? We don't need no stinkin' team! But they might show up. We'll see. Pretty sad when I'm not even certain._

* * *

**Sweets is pretty bad when Booth eventually finds him after lying in the street for two hours. The delayed response from the ambulance combined with the pending possibility that the gang or people they know might return while they are rescuing Sweets causes Booth to load Sweets up in the SUV and take him himself. The gang finds out that Sweets is gone.**

* * *

"Man you better **_find _**me someone who knows!" DJ-D shouted in the phone. Big Dog was trying to stand tall and not look afraid but it wasn't working well. Though the kid had little to do with Sweets not being where they left him, DJ-D didn't seem interested in the details.

He picked up the phone to make another call. "Yeah, we're trying to find out where he would have gone. Yeah man I didn't think of that, you think he called that punk ass Fed friend? Yeah well we're finding out, sounds like the Big Eight saw something and they owe us one. Get everyone else together."

* * *

The flashes of blue and red in the car in front of him kept Booth's attention on the road. He hadn't been prepared for everything he had just discovered and was still wrapping his head around it. _These things don't happen to my people _Booth told himself but as he glanced in the rear view mirror he saw that indeed, it had happened to one of his people.

His phone buzzed and he realized he had forgotten to call Brennan back.

"Bones, we're on our way to the hospital." He said without giving her a chance to speak first.

"I'll call Cam, Angela and Hodgins." Brennan said and Booth could tell she was busy doing something and then he heard a car start.

"Bones, where are you going?"

"I'm dropping Christine with Max and then I'm coming to the hospital, which one?"

"I don't know yet. It looks like we headed to County, they should be the closest."

Booth was impressed with how level Brennan was but he also knew how well she kept her emotions under lock and key.

"How is he?" Brennan asked and now Booth heard the break in her voice.

Booth looked back in the rear view mirror. Sweets breathing went from shallow to more labored. He had been involuntarily twisting in the seat as he seemed to search for air to come more easily but it wasn't.

"Booth?" Brennan asked again.

"Um, yeah we're almost there."

"Okay, I'm on my way." Brennan hung up and it wasn't lost on her that Booth answered her question.

* * *

The entrance to the hospital was a blur to Booth. The staff knew an agent would be arriving and the officers had described the situation to them the best they could. Bridges & Stalcup stood back & watched as Sweets was removed from the vehicle as gently as possible.

"Call us, let us know." Brides said to Booth as they climbed back in the car. _Back to the front line _he thought of the officers. He followed the medical team in behind Sweets and found it typical that people who had only just met Sweets would care for him so instantly. But looking down at Sweets on the gurney, it looked like he was practically in pieces.

"You can wait here sir." The young doctor said to Booth. Booth felt like he wasn't old enough to be helping, he wanted the best, someone seasoned. But then again, Sweets was pretty smart, when Booth gave him the benefit of the doubt.

"Look kid, er, Doctor." Booth said pausing the doctor.

"Dr. Phillips." He said, probably used to people asking about his age. _Yes, I'm thirty, yes I'm a doctor! _He screamed in his own head.

"Okay, Dr. Phillips, look this guy, he's pretty important and I'm going to be going where you are going alright?" Booth wasn't sure his words were making sense. "This happened to him by a gang. And I'm not sure what kind of security system you have here but…"

Dr. Phillips looked to Sweets and the terrible condition he was in and gulped. If this burly agent was concerned a gang might be coming into the hospital then he didn't mind having the big buy around either.

"Sure, yeah, you just have to stay out of the nurses way okay?" Dr. Phillips said and Booth agreed. He didn't really care what the kid said because he wasn't letting Sweets out of his sight this time.

* * *

"Why is Brennan calling this late?" Angela asked looking at her phone and answering it. "Hey Sweetie is everything okay?"

"No I'm afraid it is not Angela. Dr. Sweets is in the hospital."

Angela couldn't quite gauge based on Brennan's tone if she was concerned, annoyed or indifferent.

"Okay, what happened, is he okay?"

Angela thought the line might be disconnected because she didn't hear anything. "Bren, are you there?"

Angela heard a heavy breath on the other end of the line a strained voice lined with the stress of impending tears. "I don't know."

Angela immediately shot up out of bed and Hodgins followed suit knowing something was serious.

"Brenn, listen where are you heading to?"

"County, Booth texted he's at County General." Brennan said trying to clear her throat. "Okay sweetie, we are going to be on our way soon okay?"

Angela knew that Brennan was calling her not only about one of their friends but also because she needed someone she could talk to about those pesky 'feelings'.

* * *

Booth glanced down at his phone again. He hadn't wanted to make any calls and thus interrupt the doctor's work. He stayed at the back corner of the trauma room as far as he could. He sent a few texts sending agents to the scene where they were, texts to Bridges and Stalcup, text to Brennan and an answer to Caroline Julian as to why she just got a frantic call from Cam about Dr. Sweets being in the ER. Booth answered each one as best as he could. He gave them all the bare minimum for he didn't want to say what he was really seeing and hearing as they worked on Sweets.

"We are moving him upstairs to surgery." Dr. Phillips said to Booth as the nurses pulled the sides of the gurney up. "You can't go in surgery but you can be by the door if you like."

"Yes, thank you." Booth said following them.

"Does he have any family we should be calling?" Dr. Phillips asked as they headed to the elevator.

Booth nodded his head. "They're on their way."

* * *

"Yeah that sounds like the guy." D-Dog said and hung up to return to his friends who were waiting.

"Alright, he says they drove by about an hour ago and saw a cop car and some black SUV here." D-Dog reported to the group.

"Man how the hell anyone show up here? That piece of shit was gone man, no way he called someone." DJ-D shouted, obviously upset.

"You call him little man?" The group eyed Big Dog closely. He shook his head no.

"No, you're my family now. I didn't say nothin!"

They weren't sure but they were pretty sure he was telling the truth.

"Maybe the cop went by and picked him up." Another, Tinker, who was huge, suggested.

"Yeah but how that fed show up?" He asked.

"They're all in it together, maybe he has some device on him." Tinker suggested again.

"Well we should have ended him when we had the chance." DJ-D added.

"Man I don't even know how he was still alive, he ain't that big and we did a number on him didn't we?" Tinker said.

"I don't get it, that guy should be _dead_." DJ-D argued as everyone else's heads bobbed in agreement.

"Well," D-Dog began "we better finish what we started. Where'd them guys say they took him?"

"Gotta be County, it's closest." Tinker said.

"Alright, let's go."

* * *

It was midnight and Booth didn't want to look at his phone anymore. He had lost interest in it about half way thru the surgery which luckily didn't take too long to stop the internal bleeding. He followed the gurney after it left there and went to a room near the nurses station. Booth knew what it meant when it was near the station, close for pending emergencies.

He dutifully bobbed his head as the doctors offered him a cup of coffee and gave him a laundry list of injuries and what they had done for them. Booth nodded his head more when they said they would be on staff and could answer questions. He head was tired of bobbing when they said that time would tell and practically wished him luck.

Booth stood outside the door. He preferred to be outside on guard than in the room with Sweets.

* * *

"Man we can't all go in there." Tinker reminded them. "You'll set off every alarm bell for sure."

"Send the kid in, no one will know who he is." BJ-D suggested.

"Yeah, what a trusting face right?" They all laughed at that. "Yeah man, worked to get that guy there right?"

Big Dog just watched them all laugh.

* * *

The footsteps were so light he hardly heard them coming until they were standing over him as Booth sat crouched on the floor leaning against the door frame.

"Geez Bones you scared the crap out of me." He said standing up.

"Booth what happened, how is he?" Booth stepped aside so she could step around him and into the room. He knew she would know by sight more than he could tell her.

She walked past him and stopped. The room lights had been set to low since it was late and they wanted to let Sweets rest. If Booth hadn't told her it was Sweets she couldn't have guessed on her own. Cam had quickly filed in behind her, past Booth before he could stop her and both women stood silent in the room. They knew enough about the human body to recognize most of what was wrong.

"He came out of surgery fine." Booth said lightly, letting them to continue to take in the injuries.

Brennan walked forward and pulled the charts and began to read them.

"What was the surgery for?" Cam asked holding her stoic pose.

"He had some internal bleeding I guess." Booth said, all the talk a maze of words to him. All he knew was one of his people was down, and down pretty hard.

Cam turned to Brennan for a review of what she had read. "It would appear that Dr. Sweets did have bleeding but they were able to stop it, he has over three dozen lacerations, broken ribs, fractured ribs, bruised…." Brennan's voice failed her and Cam walked close getting there before Booth though she continued reading. "He…he has several broken fingers and lacerations on his hands, the radius and ulna are fractured quite severely…"

"The doctors said he probably pulled his hands and arms up to protect his head. They could see the footprints on his arms and hands." Booth said solemnly. "It did save him from a serious head injury though he's still got some cuts and bruises from before he covered his face."

"So they beat him?" Cam asked trying to catch on with the few bits of info she had been given so far.

"This gang, the East Side 8 prides themselves on working people over with their hands or bats and pipes." Booth explained preferring a spot on the wall over Sweets to look at.

"And then there's less guns or knives to track, those items are fairly commonplace." Cam said understanding.

"They know their stuff." Booth said.

"And there were 8 of them?" Cam asked.

"Maybe 9 if the kid was there." Booth said, further staring down the spot. The worry was starting to subside to a growing rage.

Cam rubbed her head. Nine very in shape big gang guys against Sweets. It wasn't a fair fight. Brennan was still flipping thru the pages.

"Anything more Dr. Brennan?" Cam asked.

"It goes on for several more pages I'm afraid."

"Well, we are just going to take this one day at a time." Cam said trying to keep her grasp on things. She knew she could do this if she just stayed focused. "We need to see everything they brought in, Sweets clothes, the charts everything. We need to document all this so those little bastards will rot in jail for this."

Cam felt in charge, justified, in control and fired up. She looked away from Booth and over at Brennan who had sat down the chart and stood over Sweets, obviously too afraid to even touch him.

Brennan's eyes had turned red and grew damp at the edge. She had never seen someone so destroyed before, never someone this close and so undeserving of a such a thing. Cam walked close, reminding herself to be strong, she could do this. Booth watched the women and bit his lower lip.

Grown men didn't cry he reminded himself, he didn't want a hug or anyone to tell him it was alright, but he knew that was a lie. Six hours ago he was in the car with Sweets, and Sweets was just fine. Now he was standing guard at the door so a gang didn't come in and finish what they started, beating a good man to within an inch of his life.

"I'm mad at him." Brennan said with garbled words that got stuck in his voice. "He's stupid, he's so stupid." She finished in a whisper.

"You don't mean that, he's just…" Cam said to her.

"He shouldn't have tried helping that kid, he's so stupid. He shouldn't be here Cam!"

Brennan was upset, Cam had never seen Brennan upset and unguarded like that.

"Dr. Brennan," Cam began but found her own voice was failing her. "I agree, he's stupid."

Brennan looked up and back at Sweets and the two women stood close and found themselves in a side by side hug. Booth walked out of the room. Not only had they hurt Sweets but they were upsetting the ABC's for Angela was sure to have the same reaction. Booth wanted to hit something, pummel something and then maybe get a hug finally from the ABC's, even just any one of them. But first, pummeling was in order. And not just pummeling but destroying. He wanted to disassemble them piece by piece and…_hey, what's that kid doing here…_

"Hey!" Booth shouted at the kid down the hall. The kid turned to bold and Booth took off after him.


	6. Chapter 6

6.

_Hope you are enjoying! I have apparently have an overactive imagination and insomnia. Hopefully putting both to a good use._

* * *

**Booth's got Sweets to the hospital where he's treated, taken to surgery and then left in a room to rest. Brennan & Cam show up in shock of what's happened and Angela is on her way. The gang knows Sweets isn't dead and they decide to finish what they started. Knowing they will be spotted in the hospital they send the kid, Big Dog in to see if Sweets is still alive. Only Booth spots him first.**

* * *

"Not a good idea kid." Booth said pulling on the back of the kid's jacket. The kid almost made it out the door but he had no idea who determined, and fast, Booth was when he was pissed.

"Hey man, let go!" The kid shouted to the people near the exit hoping to garner their attention at the man attacking him. It was little interest to them after Booth held out his Federal ID Badge.

"You know it's not a good idea to run." Booth said to the kill, still unsure of the kid's involvement in Sweets situation.

"Man you looked too old to run."

The kid was not helping his situation any.

"Let's go." Booth said handing onto the kid's jacket as he motioned to a nearby cop. The kid was underage and a known associate of a gang, he wanted to dot his appropriate letters.

* * *

A half hour later the kid was in the interrogation room. His mother couldn't be located and being underage they were waiting for an advocate to arrive. Booth peered in the room at the kid. He wasn't scared-he seemed proud to be in the room. Booth's thoughts drifted back to Sweets in the hospital room and the critical condition he was classified in. He reminded himself to keep his emotions in check when he talked to this kid.

Finally the advocate arrived though the kid dismissed her immediately. He thought he was much too big for some lady to help him. Booth had to laugh inwardly at the kid, he couldn't even see when someone was trying to help him.

"Well she's required to stay." Booth said for once actually feeling a bit bad for the suspect's associate to be in the room.

"Whatever." The kid said. "Just stay out of my way." He instructed her. Booth noted she was trying to produce a smile and stay honest to her code and not let the kid hang himself.

"Okay, so what happened?" Booth asked the kid. He could tell the kid was about to bust with excitement in what had happened. He wasn't in the least bit scared.

"What do you mean what happened? I just stopped by the hospital and you chased me down."

"And what were you doing there?" Booth asked.

"Man, I was visiting my uncle."

"See, I know that's not true Barry." The kid didn't like being called Barry as Booth noted. "See Barry, you asked the front desk how Lance Sweets was doing. And I know he's not your uncle."

"Yeah, well, she must have heard me wrong." Barry's voice got smaller, he seemed to suddenly realize that he could be on the hook for this now.

"No, she and the nurse next to her heard you loud and clear, now tell me Barry, why were you there?" Booth half way hoped that Barry had been pressured into tricking Sweets and that he came to see if he was okay.

The kid smiled. Booth was pretty sure that wasn't the answer.

"I don't know man, curious I guess." Barry replied.

"How did Dr. Sweets end up at 5th & Central tonight?" Booth asked.

"Man, I don't know, he got lost I guess."

"Is that why I've got a call on his phone" Booth began holding Sweets phone in his hand "from a burner cell to his about the time he left?"

"I don't know what cell phone you're talking about."

"Where's your cell phone Barry?"

"I lost it." Barry said smiling.

Booth knew the kid knew the game a little too well. In truth Booth had nothing to tie Barry directly to Sweets at this point, still he pressed on.

"You give him up Barry?" Booth asked staring Barry down. Barry looked away from Booth's penetrating eyes. Booth noted perhaps a sense of guilt on the kid's behalf.

"Don't know what you're talking about g-man." Barry said looking away still.

"Yeah you do, it was you that called him wasn't it? You lured him there." Booth said controlling his anger as he said it.

"I can't help what that dude did, he wants to be stupid it's his right. Now are we done here?"

"You know what they did to him Barry?" Booth asked and he noted a hint of a jump in Barry's form. _Yeah he was there, _Booth knew that to be true now.

"That's too bad, those guys are pretty rough." Barry said locking eyes with Booth now, as though he were up for some sort of challenge. Barry could only hold the glare for a moment until he had to look away again.

"It's pretty easy to be rough when you outnumber an unarmed man eight to one."

Barry started to say something as though to correct him but he stopped, realizing if he corrected the number of people there it would implicate himself.

"You gotta stay with your peeps." The kid only replied instead.

"You chose the gang over Sweets." Booth said not so much as a question but a statement of fact. "You picked the wrong one kid, they'll never care about you like Sweets would have."

"Man whatever, that ain't true."

Booth felt his phone buzz in his pocket and suspected at this hour it had to do with Sweets and not any other case. He couldn't get anything else from the kid, not tonight anyway. The advocate nodded that she would take it from there and Booth happily left the kid behind.

"Hey Bones, I'm here." Booth said answering on the last ring.

"Sweets is awake."

Booth nodded but he noted that her voice did not carry any hint of relief to it. In fact it was considerably the opposite.

* * *

Booth returned to the hospital parking lot and wanted to pull his jacket closer to feign off the cold air. He'd now worn this suit way too many hours of the day and being past midnight be much preferred a change of clothes. However he was far more interested in Sweets condition over comfortable attire. Once he knew Sweets was okay, he would rest.

He walked the length of the lot and neared the doors when his instincts told him it was more than the tired and the cold that had heightened his senses. He turned around and scanned the lot, he had the distinct feeling of being watched. He saw nothing and continued inside, his mind racing. His gut was never wrong, so what was it that he was sensing he wondered as he went inside.

Booth approached Sweets floor and found Cam, Angela and Hodgins by the door while Brennan stood peering in the door's limited glass view. Booth didn't like the looks of this. They turned to him as he approached.

"Seeley," Cam began as though pausing him. Booth knew it _really _wasn't good. "He's okay, they're just administering some pain medication."

"Okay." Booth said not following. _Why then is everyone in the hall?_

"He woke up." Hodgins said looking ahead and not at Booth. "In a lot of pain."

The way Hodgins said it Booth realized that it had been something unpleasant to witness. Angela wordlessly folded into Hodgins' arms as Booth walked closer and looked over Brennan's shoulders in the room. He looked only a second to see Sweets eyes screwed shut as the doctors injected needles into the IV. Sweets turned to the side at the pain.

"Why didn't they do something ahead of time?" Booth asked but forgot the question when he looked down at Brennan who eyes were fixed on the room and the figure in pain in it. She seemed in a trance. She looked pale and near tears.

"Bones, you okay?" He asked but her eyes didn't move.

"It's not fair." Brennan said still looking in the room.

"I know." He said now pulling her into his large and strong arms and away from the sight. "I know." He repeated as he stroked his hand along her back.

The doctor emerged from the room.

"Hey guys." Dr. Phillips said casually. "He's resting now. We had to sedate him. We had hoped some pain medication would ease the discomfort. That wasn't working so we sedated him. We are going to run some more tests, see if there is anything that we missed."

"Why is he…" Angela began to say but even saying the words _in so much pain _were too much. She could only picture happy go lucky Sweets, not beaten to a pulp Sweets.

"You need to keep in mind the severity of his injuries." Dr. Phillips began. "He's going to be in quite a bit of pain for a while. He's still critical now, and he's only been here a few hours. Let's give him a little time."

The team nodded and tried to accept the news as it was. As the doctor left, Booth looked to the rest of the team, tired and concerned but he didn't think that being here was helping much.

"Look, uh I think we should all go home." Booth said. "I think everyone needs rest and Sweets needs some rest too."

They considered it and though they didn't want to leave, they knew they should go.

"Yes, we can come back, that way if Sweets wakes up we can offer him more help if we're not tired." Cam said hoping to encourage everyone as well.

The nurse was given all of their numbers a second time. If anyone couldn't be reached she was reminded multiple times to call everyone else on the list. The nurse could have reacted with severe annoyance but she saw the broken man who was brought into the room and was told he had no family. She could see now that he did and that they cared very much for him.

* * *

The hospital was quiet that late at night as the group moved onto the first floor lobby. Booth still had a biting sensation not to leave the hospital but he reminded himself that Sweets would be fine, he just needed a little time. But as the cool night's at struck him Booth looked up only to see a dark figure duck. He paused and looked around.

"What is it Booth?" Bones asked causing the rest of the group to pause as well.

Booth looked around as the wheels began to spin. _If Sweets is alive he can ID the gang members, the kid was sent in to see if he was still alive!_

"I forgot something guys, let's go back in a minute." Booth said as they stepped back in.

"Want to tell me what's going on?" Cam asked extremely inquisitive now.

"I think the rest of the gang is out in that parking lot." Booth said.

"You think they want to get us?" Angela asked surprised.

"No, I don't think they want us, they want Sweets. If he can identify them, they can do hard time." Booth explained.

"They didn't expect him to make it to the hospital." Cam said putting the situation together now.

"Oh God." Angela said swaying for a moment at truly how close Sweets had come to death.

"So what do we do now Booth?" Bones asked, her dynamic eyes filled with worry.

"You guys go home. Cam, can you stay with Bones till I get home?" Booth said formulating a plan.

"No, Booth, I'm not going anywhere." Brennan protested.

"No Bones, if you stay then they will think everything is okay. I'm going to talk to the doctor. I'm putting Sweets under guard. I'll wait here until the first one arrives. I'm also changing the name he's under. I don't think they want any of us but I don't to take chances. Strength in numbers okay?"

They nodded in agreement as Booth headed back upstairs making a string of calls. Brennan decided to stay at Max's tonight. She knew the resolve in Booth's face as she left, Booth would be staying the night, he wouldn't leave the task to anyone else if there were questionable characters outside.

* * *

Booth's first order of business was to have the cops pick up anyone they could find in the parking lot. Their loud entrance had alerted most of them.

A phone call around three that morning drew Booth from his brief siesta. He jumped in his chair at the sound of the ring. He was eager to answer and not wake Sweets who continued to be enduring a restless sleep. It was Bridges & Stalcup, they knew where to find one of the gang members, D-Dog was in custody and Booth could have him whenever he wanted him.

"Thanks." Booth said and had to grin at the officers 'out of their way' help. They inquired how Sweets was.

"He's dead." Booth said.


	7. Chapter 7

7.

_Still don't own Bones. I was being a little silly in the beginning here. I have to have fun sometimes._

* * *

**Booth catches up to the kid, finds out the kid choose the gang over Sweets help. Sweets wakes up in colossal pain. Booth figures out the gang is still after Sweets since he can ID them.**

* * *

"Dr. Lance Sweets, a profiler with the Federal Bureau of Investigation died last night at 2 a.m. after injuries sustained in an attack by gang violence. Dr. Sweets leave behind no family." Caroline Julian read out loud. "That's what you want it to say Booth?"

"Yeah. I know this isn't going to last long but it will buy us some time." He said pacing the halls.

"Who knows he's alive, besides us?" Caroline asked.

"The cops from last night, I told them as far as anyone know Sweets is dead." Booth said it then cringed inwardly at it. He didn't like saying that sentence, even if it was just for a cover up. "Otherwise it's just us and the hospital staff. They understand the protocol. Right now Sweets is under another name, Francis Daley."

"Francis? Really? I thought you liked Sweets." Caroline asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I do."

"Really, then why Francis?" Caroline asked, eyebrow still arched.

"Well it was that or John." Booth said shrugging his shoulders.

"Alright, I'll get this out there but you'd better tell the FBI or they'll be cleaning out Sweets desk. And then you'll have to answer to Sweets for a lot more than why you put him under the name Francis." Caroline said leaving.

"Hey Booth." Brennan said walking in with a bag.

"Hey Bones." Booth said kissing his wife. "I was going to be back home but…"

"I know you wanted to stay Booth." She said, a gentle smile on her face that suggested she wasn't going to implore for more. "Christine is at daycare. I stayed at Max's last night. How is Sweets this morning?"

Booth opened the bag with delight and searched for a nearby restroom.

"He was sleeping so far this morning. I stepped out to talk to Caroline. You got the plan right?"

"Yes. When will you be going to interrogate the suspect?" Brennan asked.

Booth was scanning the halls to locate a restroom. "This morning, soon as an agent shows up to take my place."

"Well I think you should go, I can stay until an agent arrives." Brennan said and at first Booth was reluctant to agree but he knew that Brennan would have little issue with shooting anyone who came to cause harm.

"Okay Bones. I'll be back soon." Booth said kissing her goodbye when his phone rang.

He paused and listened, his features changing slightly as Brennan watched them. Booth confirmed what he had heard on the phone and hung up.

"What is it?" Brennan asked, it couldn't be good news based on what she had seen.

"The kid, Barry, he was found dead this morning." Booth said and Brennan nodded, a mix of emotions flowing around her. "The gang got his cracked up mom to come and vouch for him. Brides and Stalcup found him about a block from where we found Sweets last night."

Brennan wasn't sure if she should say she was sorry to hear it, because the anger in her wasn't sure she was.

"He should have let Sweets help him." She said instead.

"I know Bones." Booth said. "All this stuff, with Barry and picking that gang, it makes me realize how much Sweets needs a family. And you know we're all not perfect, Hodgins is weird with the bugs, and Angela, she hates me half the time, Cam is a little stiff sometimes but…"

"I know Booth." She said knowing what he was trying to say. "We're all a little broken but better when we're all together."

Booth smiled at her candor as he left to quickly change clothes but then he had someone's ass to ream.

Brennan gently pushed the door to Sweets room open. She was taken aback when she saw his eyes open and looking around.

"Dr. Sweets, you're awake." She said and then chastised herself for it. Of course he was awake, she knew that. She had been feeling a bit off since hearing that Sweets was in critical condition and hadn't been reacting as rationally as usual. She cleared her throat as though it would help reset her focus.

"What is I mean is, how are you feeling?" Brennan asked coming closer.

Sweets seemed reluctant to move even the slightest inch. He was lying a bit crooked on the bed, presumably from his restless sleeping the night before and his involuntary movements while he slept. He was now partially elevated on the bed to help with his breathing but squished to one side. Brennan's neck hurt just looking at him.

"Perhaps I can help you." Brennan said reaching forward but stopped when Sweets eyes widened with terror.

"Sweets, it's fine it's just me." Brennan said. "Can you see me okay?" She asked as Sweets eyes relaxed some. His eyes were surrounded in bruises and she had a genuine concern if his vision was intact.

"Yes. I can see you." Sweets said in a grovely whisper.

"Good, I was concerned there was damage to the orbital…" Brennan stopped as Sweets looked away. He wasn't interested in what she was about to say.

"Would you like me to get the doctors to help move you? You look quite uncomfortable." Brennan said sitting down so that they were eye to eye.

Sweets didn't answer.

"Are you in any pain? I know last night you were…" Brennan said until Sweets interrupted her.

"You were right." He said in a voice that hardly sounded like him. "I am stupid."

Brennan sat back, she had no idea Sweets could hear her last night. She felt bad for saying what she had, despite it was in a different context.

"Sweets, what I said last night, I was angry to see you so hurt." Brennan began.

Sweets seemed to not be listening to her apology, his mind elsewhere.

"Psychology is a waste of time, you were right, it's stupid."

Brennan realized Sweets wasn't referencing her comment last night that actually had nothing to do with her usual comments. This was about all the comments she had made in the many years she had known Sweets. Maybe at one time would she have seen this as a triumph and a chance for Sweets to put his intellect to something more useful. But now she knew it was for all the wrong reasons but she wasn't the right one to do have this conversation. She knew Angela, maybe even Cam could help more than she.

"Sweets, I uh…" Brennan struggled for the words. "I'll get a doctor." She said leaving the room feeling a bit defeated.

* * *

Three cups of coffee and Booth felt only slightly energized. He was still heavily weighed down from the lack of sleep the night before. He was now jittery and angry as he headed to the interrogation room. He was stunned for a moment when he arrived at the door only to find a dozen agents at the door, agents who had worked with Sweets and were grateful for his help and expertise, eager to help interrogate the interrogation. Booth had to remember that as far as they all knew, Sweets funeral was being planned.

"Thanks guys, but let me have a go first okay?" Booth said.

They stood back and gave Booth space knowing how closely the two agents had worked together, the friendship they had forged.

"Brian Robinson." Booth said sitting at the table with a folder in his hands. "Or what's that cute little name you have, Pretty Dog or something?"

Booth was playing to irritate the guy as much as possible and it seemed to be working though he kept his cool.

"It's D-Dog man, D-Dog." He said it slow as though Booth was slow to catch on.

"Right, so Brian, I see you are a member of South East 8. That been going on long?"

"I don't know what you are talking about man." D-Dog said sitting back confidently.

"Yeah, well you can skip the lack of association. We all know you are. And you're, well, goody, you're 19 so we can prosecute you for the murder of an FBI agent to the fullest extent. Good thing I'm good friend with the prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's office. She's also very fond of the man you killed last night."

"Man, I don't know who you're talking about. I was at home last night."

"Yeah and what were you doing last night?"

"Oh, I was just playing some video games. I got some people who can vouch for me." He said smiling. Booth knew about 7 other people who came to mind.

"Thing is Brian, we can link you to that crime. It also seems another member of your gang turned up this morning, Barry Jones, know him?"

"I knew him." Brian said. Booth could tell he was busting at the seams to gloat. "Yeah that kid, he wanted in with some of the guys but he messed some shit up man."

"So why did he die?" Booth asked.

"He had a job to do man, he couldn't do it. But," DJ-D said stretching. "Not everyone can do what's needed and others need to know it."

"Who shot him?"

"He was shot?" DJ-D asked in an all too unconvincing tone. "I had no idea. Not the style of anyone I know."

"I would imagine someone would want it to look that way."

"Look man, all sorts of crazy stuff goes on at night."

"Why don't you give me the names of your associates and maybe you don't get the death penalty." Booth suggested after looking at something on his phone briefly.

"Man, I don't think I need to do that. In fact, I think it's time for me to get going." DJ-D said standing up.

"Sit down!" Booth instructed the punk.

DJ-D said putting his hands up and laughing. "Okay, okay man, don't get so upset."

Booth motioned for someone to come in. One of the other agents narrowed his eyes as he looked down at DJ-D. He tossed a bat ensconced in a plastic bag on the table and left.

"Found this an hour or so ago. At your place. Funny thing, your finger prints are right here." Booth said pointing. "And this blood stain here, well that belongs my good friend."

"Man I think someone borrowed it. I can't remember where I put everything." DJ-D said, still unrattled.

"Well it's enough to hold you for now." Booth said getting up. "We might find a couple more friends who might be willing to _remember_ where you were last night."

"Implicate one, implicate all." DJ-D said still smiling. He knew by ratting him out they'd get evidence they were all there.

Booth walked out of the interrogation room tired, exhausted and not feeling any farther than he was a few moments before. That changed when a group of suits closed in on him.

"Agent Booth!" Agent Landry said approaching. "We got a call, they found cocaine there as well as an arsenal of weapons, all with his finger prints on them."

"Well we can go ahead and charge him on drug and arms trafficking then." Booth said glad they had something more concrete to hold him on. Possession of the bat wasn't going to be enough without Sweets having to ID him. If Sweets did, the price would be back on his head again. Booth wanted to keep Sweets out of it as long as possible so they could round up the rest of the gang as well. All without anyone knowing Sweets was alive.

"We need to get something on the rest of them." Booth said. "We need to get the other 7 of them."

The dozen agents from earlier had multiplied. Booth hadn't realized until now how many people Sweets worked with, and how well they thought of him. He almost felt bad lying to them about Sweets being dead but Booth knew for one they would understand later and two, it was still a grave possibility.

"We're on it Agent Booth." The group promised using one phrase or another as they left. Booth felt a slight sense of relief having help on the case, now he could go and visit Sweets again. Still, he wanted to take the bat by the Jeffersonian first, he wanted them to take a look, maybe Hodgins could find some weird infestation that would solve the case.

"Landry!" Booth shouted and Junior Agent Landry came running like a faithful pup.

"Yes Agent Booth?"

"I need you to take that bat to the Jeffersonian okay? They should also have Sweets clothes there too. Don't leave them with anyone, take them straight to Dr. Hodgins. I'm going to tell them you're bringing them to him."

"You think they can find something to link them to Dr. Sweets?"

"I hope so." Booth said with a yawn and was then distracted by his ringing cell phone. "I don't want Sweets to have to testify."

"Testify?" Landry asked and immediately Booth realized in his drowsiness he slipped up. "Is, is Dr. Sweets…"

"Shhhhh!" Booth said looking around. "Alright, yeah, he is but keep quiet okay?"

Booth could see how relieved the junior agent was.

"I'm just so glad Agent Booth. Dr. Sweets, he really helped me. I was a little too…"

"Yeah, I got it." Booth said not wanting a full back ground. "Now take that to the Jeffersonian and just keep that quiet okay?"

"Yes, yes sir!" The agent promised as he bounced away.

Booth returned his missing call.

"Hey Bones. What's wrong? How long ago? Stay there. I'm on my way."


	8. Chapter 8

8.

_By the by, I hadn't intended to throw in Daley's name on the last chapter but I had intended to put Sweets under a different name for protection. When I went to write in a name that one struck me as humorous to do so, so I did. ;0 Sorry so long on the update, I spent time yesterday sending original work to literary agents, cause you never know! Fingers crossed!_

* * *

**Caroline releases news that Sweets is dead. Booth finds out that Barry/Big Dog has been killed, DJ-D is in custody and being held on charges. Booth wants to round up the rest of the gang before they find out that Sweets is alive or they might try and kill him again. Booth has Agent Landry take the baseball bat to the Jeffersonian but in his sleep depraved mind lets it slip to Landry that Sweets is alive. Sweets wakes but has lost his zest for psychology while the pain he's feeling does not subside causing more tests to be run.**

* * *

Booth was pleased and yet unsettled to see a half dozen uniforms standing outside Sweets room. They backed up allowing him to swiftly enter the room, closing the gap behind him. Brennan was sitting in a chair closest to the door and jumped up when Booth came in.

"What happened?" He asked nervously keeping his eyes on her, she was still visibly shaken. She had told him on the phone but as Brennan was nearly beside herself on the phone he hoped to hear a calmer version now.

"I stepped out while the doctors were running some tests on Sweets. I went to the restroom down the hall and the nurses were talking about some strange men walking the halls and peeking in rooms. I went to call you and I saw one of them, he looked like one of the gang. He was _right _at Sweets door but he couldn't see him past the doctors. He asked the nurse who was in that room and they gave him the fake name. He kept walking on, I tried to stay out of sight because he may have seen me with you last night and made a connection. Booth, what if he….I should have stayed in there."

"Bones, it's not your fault. Caroline is just releasing the story this morning about Sweets. They will find out soon and then go away. It will give us time to round them up. Now, what about those tests?"

"That's the other thing." Brennan said with a sigh. "So far they don't see anything abnormal."

"That's good, right?" Booth asked, confused at her tone.

"Yeah, but it doesn't explain why Sweets is acting like he is."

"Bones, he was just beaten to a pulp, let's give him a little time." Booth said softly.

Brennan nodded. "I understand, I just, I've never seen Sweets like that. It just…"

"I know Bones." He wrapped his arms around her and held her for a moment.

"Oh, I almost forgot to call Hodgins!" Booth said reaching for his phone.

* * *

"Yeah." Hodgins said answering. "Thanks for the heads up." He said with thick sarcasm. "Nothing like having an agent walk into the lab with a bat announcing he had something for me."

"Sorry about that Hodgins, we had a little scare at the hospital." Booth said.

"Sweets?! Is he okay?" As Hodgins said it the others stopped what they were doing to listen.

"Yeah, Bones spotted some of the gang members. Look, I need _anything _you can get me to pick those guys up." Booth said with a heavy hope in his voice.

"Yeah, we're working on it now." Hodgins said and hung up.

On the exam table before Cam, Angela, Hodgins and Arastoo were Sweets jeans, tee and Converse from the night before, laid out like a person would be, only the person was missing.

"So first off," Angela began. "Can I just say I'm glad that these clothes are empty?"

"I second that." Cam said.

"Shouldn't the FBI be looking into this?" Arastoo asked. "We do bones don't we?"

"Yes, but we're the best." Hodgins reminded him. "And Booth wants the best."

"What are we looking for anyway?" Arastoo asked after nodding.

"Anything that might be able to give us an ID on Sweets attackers." Cam said scanning with a magnifying glass with its light searching for specifics.

"This is just creepy." Angela said looking down at the clothes.

"I know Ange, but it's the only way we can put those guys away for good. If Booth can't get them to crack and get one of them confess we have to find a way to put each one of them at the scene or they're gonna walk. In which case Sweets will have to testify and…"

"Yeah, I know." Angela said as her eyes went over to the bat and got an idea. She grabbed the stack of medical files they had gotten from the hospital. "I think I have some work to do in my office. Holler if you need me."

"This here." Arastoo said pointing. "See the discoloration?"

"Yes, I do see that." Cam said swabbing it. "I think this might be saliva."

"I'll run it. We'll be able to rule out Sweets pretty quick." Hodgins said taking the sample.

"You think one of them spit on Dr. Sweets?" Arastoo asked with an incensed notion in his voice.

Before Cam could answer Hodgins had a response. "Looks like it. Darrel Harrison, aka Diamond K. He's got a rap sheet long enough to crash my computer. Best part? Known associate of Southeast 8."

"Well there's one of the 7 down. We can match the kid Booth has in custody to the bat." Cam said still searching the clothing, trying to think of their previous occupant.

"Are these jeans previously ripped fashion wise of from fight?" Arastoo asked looking at the knee.

Cam looked closely. "There's blood in the fibers so I'm going to say it's not fashion. She should be able to match the injuries Dr. Sweets to be sure." Cam paused and cleared her throat, Arastoo noticed. "Did you see something there?"

"No, I guess I was just uh…" Arastoo said growing quiet.

"Let's concentrate on what there is by way of concrete evidence." Cam snapped. "Not curiousity."

Arastoo nodded and Cam seemed to feel guilty.

"I'm going to check the bat, if they traded off using it, there may be more prints." Hodgins said.

"Good, I'm going to check on Angela." Cam said walking away.

Hodgins turned to Arastoo once Cam was gone. "What was that?"

"She's upset, but I know it's not with me." Arastoo said quietly.

"What about then?" Hodgins asked aloof.

Arastoo nodded to the set of clothes. Hodgins nodded. He had been trying to forget they belonged to Sweets for so long that he actually had.

"Oh right." He said, his tone deepening.

"She'll never admit it." Arastoo said. "But she didn't sleep a wink last night."

* * *

Cam needed a break, she felt like there wasn't enough air on the platform. She walked in Angela's office to the soft sounds of music. Cam figured Angela must have needed a break as well. It surprised her then to see what she did on the screen. Angela's back was to Cam as Cam watched Angela compile a series of events on a computer generated man, slightly similar in dark hair, skin and height to Sweets. The computer image was taking a beating and Cam realized Angela was using the medical reports to recreate each injury.

Cam cleared her throat but Angela only remained working. Cam grew closer and Angela swiveled in her chair away from her. Cam was baffled touched Angela on her shoulder causing Angela to stop tapping away, and look up for a second, silent tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Oh Angela." Cam said in an uncharacteristic hug. "You don't have to watch this."

"I thought it would help." Angela said wiping the tears away. "I wanted to get those bastards. But then, it just sunk in…"

Cam watched the recreation which took all of two minutes and felt Angela pulling Cam this time into a hug having not noticed the silent tears streaming down her own cheeks as well.

"Bastards." Cam said softly and Angela nodded.

* * *

Booth met with Bridges and Stalcup who were eager for an update on Sweets which simply meant he was being reclassified as serious and not critical. Booth's reason for his visit as to go with the officers to find any information on the other gang members. He suspected few would talk to them and indeed they didn't get far.

Booth developed another idea and headed back to the office and found what he was looking for, several angry and eager agents. He asked for volunteers and got many but selected on a few to go undercover to try and get information on the gang.

"Will it still matter? Asked the one agent.

"Why wouldn't it matter?" Booth asked confused.

"Well with Agent Sweets being alive and all? Can't he just testify?" The agent asked and Booth's expression fell.

"What?"

"Yeah, Agent Landry said something about it. He was taking Brian Robinson to charge him and said something to him about if he didn't watch it Dr. Sweets would be sure he would rot in jail. I guess Robinson said something to him and he shoved him a little and said that. Dr. Sweets is alive isn't he? I guess we got some wrong information?"

Booth's expression hardened as he failed to answer in search of a junior agent who was about to get an earful.


	9. Chapter 9

9.

_Hope this is still going well. I fussed over this part quite a bit, thus the delay._

* * *

**The team investigates the case trying to find the remaining gang members. Agent Landry loses his cool while transferring DJ-D and drops the secret that Sweets is alive.**

* * *

"Booth?" Brennan asked when she hadn't heard anything on the other end of the phone.

"Yeah?" Booth said in a muffled voice, his head on his desk.

"I heard what happened."

"Ugh." Booth said now utterly exhausted. "Why does new travel so fast? Guess no chance of reversing that now." Booth added sitting up.

"No doubt word travels fast everywhere." Brennan said and Booth knew what she meant.

"Yeah I've got two officers on Sweets room."

"We've discovered the identities of two more gang members based on a print on the toe of Sweets Converse and another set on the bat." Brennan informed him.

Booth knew that was still four. He could round those three up and put them in jail along with DJ-D but it still left a few loose cannons on the street. He could pressure them for names but chances are they wouldn't break, they all had a part in the beating and each could be tied to it. Even if one had immunity for rating out the others that one would know a price would be on his own head. "Mum" was the ultimate word in that crowd.

"So what do we do?" Brennan asked at the long silence.

"We keep digging and we keep Sweets safe."

"But Sweets can ID them." Brennan said rationally.

"I know Bones. I know." Booth said knowing that was the one route he didn't want to take, but he didn't to take it just yet.

* * *

The first week went by with Cam, Brennan and Angela visiting Sweets. Most of the time he slept either for real or to avoid conversation with them. For the most part he really was tired and exhausted with the pain medication he was on but in his mind he didn't want to talk to anyone.

Booth kept busy night and day with the case, chasing down any lead. Hodgins and Arastoo poured over every fiber of Sweets clothes until there was nothing left and then they started over again. Bridges and Stalcup monitored all the activity in the gang's territory but for the moment everything was quiet, everyone was lying low. The agents were undercover but as well, very little was happening until the attention drew low and then they would be ready. Still, everyone could feel it was the calm before the storm.

By the second week after that night, Sweets was transferred to another room, this one the opposite end of the nurse's station. The doctor's discussions changed from monitoring vitals to plans for rehabilitation soon.

"Isn't that great news Dr. Sweets?" Cam asked sitting next to bed as he shared the news with her. Sweets offered a smile and nodded.

Sweets had found that smiling and nodding were the answer to nearly every situation. At first the sleep was welcome, it gave breaks between the constant pain. If his shoulder didn't hurt then his leg did, if that didn't at the same time his chest did then his arms begged for his attention. It all added up to more exhaustion just trying to deal with the pain. What made it worse was when the ABC's came bouncing in the room with flowers or smiles or whatever else was lying around to bring in.

If he slept too much they were worried. If he didn't respond to their questions, they were worried. This must have prompted a conversation with Booth, who came in worried. Sweets was exhausted enough in dealing with his own pain to worry over their worry. So now he smiled and nodded and compartmentalized the pain as best as he could.

"Yes, that is great news." Sweets said smiling and nodding to the doctor. "When will that happen?"

"Next week I think, if you're up to it." Dr. Phillips said. "We'll start small, lifting things with your hands and such. We'll do only what you're comfortable with." He promised.

Sweets looked to Cam who looked as excited as child going out for sports. Truth was he felt about as ready as a corpse for burial but he didn't want to disappoint, or worry her so he smiled and nodded and said that was fine.

Excited Cam left to call everyone to share the news. Sweets watched as she left and caught a glimpse of the officer by his door. Sweets didn't know exactly what was going on but he knew that always having a cop by the door couldn't be good. He wondered if the sooner he left the hospital, the sooner things could calm down. In order for him to leave the hospital he'd have to get around faster. In order to get around faster he was going to need some help.

"Doc, am I ready for this?" Sweets asked, fishing for a specific purpose.

"Well, I'll admit I'm a bit concerned about some of your injuries. That's why I hope to start small. I'll disclose that your friends are very worried about you. They think if you keep busy you'll feel better."

Sweets knew their intentions were well placed. Sweets was known to work a good 70 hour work week on any given week and weekends. He didn't care to disclose to them his lack of desire to return to work. Instead he smiled and nodded when they rattled on about cases and Hodgins talked about bugs. He knew they were tense around him though some of the bruises had faded some. He tried his best to appear fine so they would relax and not worry.

"So, am I ready for this?" Sweets asked again having not gotten an answer.

"That answer is best answer by you Dr. Sweets. Are you?"

_No. _Sweets wanted to answer. _I'd much rather you ended what that gang started and kill me now. Tell me doc, what are your feelings on euthanasia? _Instead Sweets gathered that the doc was willing to bend to Sweets suggestions, this was going to be easy Sweets realized.

"I think I am doc. I'd like to get out here, get back to normal." Sweets lied. "But I'm feeling a little…" Sweets pretended to search for the right words.

_"_Sluggish?" The doctor asked.

"Yes, I think that would be it." Sweets smiled and nodded. "I feel like I want to get going but I feel a little pressure." Sweets smiled at the word motioning to his joints.

"Ah, well we can get a prescription for that." Dr. Phillips said jotting down some notes.

Sweets smiled and nodded as though he had no idea that was a possibility.

"Yes, I think that would help." Sweets said, glad that was as easy as he thought it might be.

The third week found Sweets at rehab. He insisted that he could do more if they all were busy with work and let him do his work. He saw their faces fall as they felt rejected but the thought of Cam or even worse Booth standing by while he took baby steps across the room was too much to deal with on top of all the pretending.

Booth still spent late nights at the office tracking the activity of the gang. Sweets was due to leave rehab in a week having exceeded the doctor's expectations of him. Booth has reserved feelings that Sweets was possibly pushing himself too hard or maybe Brennan had just misread the x-rays and charts so that Sweets wasn't as bad as they had thought. He somehow doubted Brennan was wrong. Still, with no activity from the gang, Booth's once supportive boss in regards to Sweets protection saw no reason to keep a guard outside Sweets' residence once he was discharged. Since that discussion Booth had put in even later nights to find the remaining gang members still on foot.

With only days left, Booth headed to see Sweets to talk about the one thing he didn't want to have to talk about.

"Hey Booth!" Sweets said smiling and nodding as Booth came in the common area room. Sweets was sitting in a wheel chair at table looking at a laptop. Sweets stopped typing as Booth sat down.

"Hey, you're almost back to your old self." Booth said with a smile of seeing Sweets. "Working on some profiles for me?" Booth joked as he went to look at what Sweets was typing.

Sweets quickly shut the screen and smiled. "No, not yet, just some exercises to work on my dexterity." Sweets smiled and nodded so Booth wouldn't worry and put him stiff and distorted hands in his lap. Sweets shut the screen so Booth did not see the fact that on the typing test Sweets wasn't able to hit a single key leaving only garbled words on the screen.

"How's it coming?" Booth asked, his gut telling him something was awry.

"Great. Really, really good." Sweets lied. He knew the doctor was going to check his dexterity test soon and having failed would not be good marks. Sweets devised a plan to remedy this situation but first was pulled back into the conversation with Booth.

"Sweets, I stopped by, not only to see you, but I need to talk to you about something."

Sweets recognized Booth's discomfort and wondered what it was. A stinging pain ran thru his own chest. _Great timing_ he said to himself as he tried to smile thru it.

"Sure Booth, what can I help with?" Sweets asked smiling and nodding.

Booth hated that Sweets had to help him with it. He wanted to solve this case and walk up to Sweets and say, "hey kid, nothing to worry about, it's taken care of." Now he had to say something much the opposite.

"That night, when uh, everything happened." Booth began and Sweets knew what he meant after a moment. He had tried not to think about it himself. He was pretty busy concentrating on the constant pain and how to hide it from everyone.

"Yeah well, we found one of the guys right away, and then a couple more but uh, you see, you're the only one who can ID them."

"So that's why there's been an officer outside my room for the last four weeks." Sweets said understanding.

"Yeah, I didn't want it to freak you out." Booth said with a small smile.

_Freak me out? Hell, I'd be happy to have someone finish the job._ Sweets thought to himself instead he smiled and nodded.

"No, Booth, I understand and appreciate it."

"Well, the thing is, we haven't heard anything from the gang. And when you leave here at the end of the week, well I can't get the bureau to cover another officer."

Sweets was suddenly looking forward to leaving at the end of the week. He knew that was an incredibly dark death wish but he really didn't care much.

"Well I wouldn't worry about it Booth, they've probably moved on." Sweets said hoping the agent would drop it.

"I don't think so Sweets. I've got agents out there. They lost you once we got you out of the hospital and here but they'll find out when you go home. So I figured out what we can do, you can stay with me and Bones!"

Booth smiled, not like the last night when Booth reluctantly asked Sweets to stay with them. This time it was Sweets who was horrified at the suggestion.

"Oh, Agent Booth, thank you so much for the suggestion." Sweets said with a big fake smile. "But I don't want to do that, you have a family to run, and I'm sure I overstayed my welcome last time."

Booth was beginning to object but Sweets kept talking.

"Besides, I really think I need to get back to life you know. Work, and just a regular routine." Sweets said nodding as he said them. He had little idea of what he was going to do once he left. He had tried to mention not doing psychiatry anymore but this worried the team so he said he was just kidding. They bought it, hook, line and sinker.

"I guess if the idea is so horrible." Booth said, Sweets knew his feelings were hurt. He wondered if it was as bad as the throbbing going off in his head. He needed Booth to leave soon.

"No, it's not horrible Booth." Sweets offered with a smile. _What's horrible is that my head is melting, now please leave so I can thrash it into the wall leaving myself unconscious. _"I truly appreciate it. I just want for life to get back to normal. Now, what did you need me to do?"

"Do you remember much about that night?" Booth asked and Sweets felt the conversation just get longer. He wasn't going to make it at this rate.

"Um, maybe, could you hold on a second though Booth, I'm supposed to do something at two." Sweets said standing up.

"Whoa, Sweets you okay on your feet?" Booth said as the man wavered for a second.

"Yeah, I just stood up too fast." Sweets said offering a smile.

He quickly walked out of the room and Booth nodded noticing that Sweets got around pretty well. What he didn't know is that every step shot pain thru Sweets entire body that begged him to stop or slow down. When Sweets had enough of them he could trick his body into not knowing the pain it was in. The pain killer was wearing off and his body was becoming aware of it. He had to dissuade it again and found the bottle in his room, nearly empty. The dose suggested one, he took two usually but decided for this conversation three were in order.

He stood for a second letting them dissolve in their system and was thankful for their quick reaction. He walked with ease back to the common room and sat this time in a chair across from Booth, discarding the wheel chair. He didn't like looking like an invalid and at the moment he didn't feel like one.

"So, that night, do you remember what they looked like?" Sweets thought about it for a moment. There were few faces he could forget in his lifetime. The happy faces of his adoptive parents, Booth & Brennan, Cam, Angela - he had spent much time studying them and their reactions so he knew them well. He also studied the faces of his foster father, a face he would associate with those faces of violence that night.

"Well, there was uh, Barry. You know him."

"Oh." Booth said as though remembering something.

"What?"

"I hadn't been able to tell you earlier Sweets, I'm sorry." Booth began as Sweets searched his face for answers. "Barry was killed the next day, after that night."

Sweets was shocked. Emotions hit him quickly as he tried to process them all as the pain medication began to fail him.

"I thought he uh, I thought it was a trap. Did he uh…" Sweets wondered if his anger had been misplaced. He thought he clearly recalled that night where Barry sold him out.

"No, he did, he lured you there. He admitted it to me. The rest of them, they wanted to prove a point." Booth waited for the information to sink in for Sweets. He knew it was a soft topic point and had practically forgotten it in the passing weeks.

"Yeah, well I guess that's one down." Sweets said in a tone that suggested he didn't mean it. _What a freggin' waste that was, Dr. B was right, psychology is stupid. Wait, did we talk about that? _Sweets rubbed his head as he thought he recalled her saying something to him. Worried glances from his friends filled his head, the perception of a failed career, and a dead kid he couldn't help/

"Sweets?" Booth asked concerned.

"Yeah?" Sweets said trying to mentally place the pain in a box and bury it deep.

"Uh, I don't remember Booth. It was dark and a blur." Sweets lied, he saw every face he saw that night. He wanted Booth to go, **_now_. **"Sorry I can't help."

Booth knew Sweets a long time and had learned from him, just as Sweets had learned from him. He knew Sweets was lying but he wasn't going to push him, the poor kid had gone pale since he had brought it up.

"Okay Sweets, I just thought I would ask. I'll figure something out."

Sweets nodded though he hadn't heard a word Booth had said. It all came out like one big blob of words. He smiled and nodded and said goodbye.

Sweets sat for a moment and thought of Barry, him trying to help and then that night. He was so deep in thought he didn't see the rehabilitation doctor come in.

"Dr. Sweets?" He asked gaining Sweets attention. Sweets smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, sorry Dr. Rogers, I was thinking about the uh, that uh…"

The older doctor sat next to him in the seat Booth had vacated.

"Son, are you feeling okay? I'm concerned you're pushing yourself a bit too hard."

"Oh, no doc it's fine." Sweets said wording everything just right. Sweets went to get up when his knee buckled. The doctor pulled the wheelchair closer and scooped Sweets in it.

"Does it hurt son?" He asked but knew the answer based on Sweets squished up face.

"Yeah. But it's okay, I can handle it." Sweets said brushing him off.

"No, no, there's no reason for that. Let's increase the dosage." The doctor said scribbling something down. "Let's get you back to your room and I'll be there in a bit."

Sweets smiled while one of the nurses pushed him back to his room. He still had his prescription from the hospital and Dr. Phillips and now he had just earned another higher dosage from Dr. Rogers. _All in a day's work _Sweets smiled to himself.


	10. Chapter 10

10.

_Hope this is staying on course. Feels like it's taking me forever. Maybe I'm just anxious witha new story on my mind._

* * *

**Booth & the team have hit a dead end in tracking down the gang members. The big boss says no more protection for Sweets since nothing has turned up in the last month. Sweets is undetected at the rehab place the last few weeks where Booth comes to ask for help in identifying the gang members and tells him Barry died. Sweets has lost total interest in helping people but keeps that and the incredible pain he's enduring a secret. He's also developing a dependency on pain killers.**

* * *

"Hodgins you've looked those shoes over a dozen times." Cam said as Hodgins dug at Sweets Converse.

"Yeah, but Sweets goes home today and after today there's no more guards." Hodgins said picking away. "And unless we come up with something…"

Cam wanted to say something but she was just as nervous about the whole thing as well. No one was convinced that the gang had lost interest. She left Dr. Hodgins to dig, something in the groove having caught his interest.

"Cam!" Brennan called to her "I will be leaving early today."

"Yes, you and Booth are picking up Dr. Sweets." Cam said confirming what she had been told before. It was easy to spot Dr. Brennan's desire to hide her emotions though anyone could see she was excited.

"Let me us all know how he's doing when he gets settled in, if there's anything we can do to help and such." Cam added and Brennan nodded.

* * *

"Hi, we're here to take home Dr. Lance Sweets." Booth announced upon he and Brennan's arrival.

"Oh." The lady said checking something again.

Booth didn't like the surprised 'oh' and his smile faded quickly.

"Is there a problem?" Brennan asked.

"Well, I'm pretty sure that Dr. Sweets checked out two days ago. He asked that we call a cab. I can get the doctor for you if you like."

"Yes please." Booth said thru gritted teeth.

Brennan wanted to remind Booth that it wasn't the doctor's fault that Sweets left but she didn't have time before he arrived.

"Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth." Dr. Roberts said recognizing them from their many visits. "Good to see you. I take it you have questions about Dr. Sweets departure."

The nodded but the doctor continued.

"I suggested that he wait for his friends but he said he didn't want to bother anyone. He asked for a cab. I urged him to wait but I had no reason to require him to stay." The doctor said and Booth & Brennan could detect that the doctor had the same cares and concerns they did. Booth was left to wonder why Sweets was being so stubborn.

"Oh, well maybe we'll stop by and check on him." Brennan suggested though Booth was a bit too angry for a social call.

"I hope you do." The doctor added, something in his tone that suggested something wasn't sitting well with him. Their looks asked him to continue. "It occurred to me this morning that your Dr. Sweets is a highly intelligent individual isn't he?"

Brennan nodded though Booth had another string of adjectives for Sweets at the moment.

"Most patients when they depart have a relaxed sense of going home and getting back to a routine. Now, most of our patients have not endured the kind of traumatic experience with their visit, luckily we don't have very many people who have experienced what Dr. Sweets endured."

"What are you saying doctor?" Brennan asked.

"I hadn't noticed it until he left. He seemed unattached to going home, it was as though it was just another location. It got me to thinking of Dr. Sweets reactions to some of his rehabilitation. It was as though he already knew the answers to a quiz and plugged them in as necessary. I'm afraid your Dr. Sweets may have cheated the system in some way, ultimately slowing his recovery. This is of course, just a speculation on my part. Now, I should get back to the patients."

He shook their hands and bid them farewell.

Brennan looked to her partner, "Are we going to…"

"Yeah, we're going there." Booth said half way out the door.

* * *

When Sweets alarm went off he didn't welcome it. He had set it for two in the afternoon giving him time to get out of the house before Booth & Brennan arrived. Today was the day he was _supposed _to leave the rehab center and they were supposed to pick him up. He had started to call them a dozen times and tell them he was leaving early but he had no energy to listen to them ask why. He knew this moment would come, he was just putting it off. And now he would put it off again as he eluded their visit, again.

He knew this was a short lived plan and that any good pshycologist would tell him the many flaws in his logic. But he wasn't a psychologist he reminded himself, not anymore.

What he hadn't planned on was how long it was taking him to get ready. He spend most of the last two days sleeping and doing minor research on careers such as construction workers and professional gamers. He had little interest in working in an office having never mastered the typing program. Instead he ignored the underlying problem and got another patient with great typing skills and short term memory loss to do it for him. Again, it just seemed too easy.

Sweets was starting to feel worse as the time ticked by, he had hoped to be gone a half hour ago but he couldn't find his Converse. About ready to leave barefoot he settled for his dress shoes which looked a bit ridiculous with his jeans that were all too big and matching oversized tee that used to fit.

He popped open the door only to have the desire to slam it shut again. Instead he offered a big fake smile as he cussed under his breath.

"Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan, lovely to see you." He said as they stepped into his apartment.

"Cut the crap Sweets, want to tell us about your early departure?" Booth asked.

"Look it's no big deal." Sweets said shutting the door. He was starting to feel tired and achy again. He needed to get the pharmacy for a refill.

"Sweets?!" Booth said to his fairly flighty profiler who appeared lost in thought.

"Oh sorry, I was just thinking of some errands." Sweets said. "Hey, where is my car anyway? And phone and wallet and stuff?"

"Your car is in the lot." Booth said matter of factly.

"And your other stuff is at the Jeffersonian." Brennan answered. "It came with your clothes from…from… that night." It bothered Brennan to think back to that night despite the time that had passed. She would have turned to Sweets to talk about why it such an event bothered her so, but not since it was him."

"Oh, can I have them back now?" Sweets asked and Booth noticed how Sweets had yet to fully acknowledge the events of that night.

"I don't see why not." Brennan said noticing the same as Booth had as they glanced at each other.

"You know Sweets, you're not a bother to us." Booth said while Sweets noted that Booth was letting his guard down a little more than usual. "You know if you need to run errands just let us know, we can help."

"Oh, well, I guess." Sweets said. He wanted to say no but he wanted to get to the pharmacy more.

Brennan was busy looking around Sweets apartment. She pictured him being a bit more tidy, the place seemed like the beginning stages of a mess.

"Look, it looks like you need some fresh air." Booth said. "Let's go and run those errands."

Sweets agreed and they soon left.

* * *

"Yeah, Big D it's Tinker. Yeah I followed the g-mail, took us right to him. Good things come to those who wait right? Ha ha. Yeah I got his address now. Nah looks like they're going someplace. Yeah I'm in. Let's finish this thing."


	11. Chapter 11

11.

_Hope I'm not posting too much. Just sort of on some sort of roll. Maybe honey wheat._

_I still don't own any part of the Bones franchise, be it the femur, actors etc. I do however possess a strange sense of humor._

* * *

**Hodgins may have found a clue in the grooves of Sweets' Converse. Sweets with his newfound painkiller addition has left rehab before B&B can come and pick him up, as in two days before. They wonder what he's been up to in those two days and offer to take him on some errands. In the meantime a gang member has followed Booth and now knows Sweets address and rounds up the others to finish what they started.**

* * *

"So what have you been up to two days Sweets?" Booth called to the back seat. He thought Sweets seemed a little agitated.

"Oh, just hanging out, relaxing." Sweets said but it didn't seem entirely true. Booth noticed for someone taking it easy he sure seemed tired.

They pulled up at the drive thru pharmacy but Sweets insisted on going inside. Booth asked him how he was going to pay and Sweets realized the missing wallet.

"Eh, you can pay me back kid." Booth said pulling up to the drive thru.

Sweets slid to the side behind Booth so he could talk to the pharmacist but Booth didn't pull up far enough. Instead Booth gave the pharmacist Sweets' information which seemed to irk Sweets.

She returned momentarily and asked if he had any questions. Sweets quickly said no and seemed eager to end anything else she might say. Brennan noticed the agitation and eagerness for the prescription.

"It would be important to listen to the information the pharmacist is providing Sweets." Brennan suggested from the front seat but Sweets only shot her a descending look.

"Thank you both. It's the same prescription I had at the hospital and I'm fully aware of the symptoms." Sweets said to the pharmacist. "I'm tired and I'd just like to go home please."

"I thought you were sleeping all day." Booth asked only to be met with Sweets increasing irritation.

Sweets signed the form and Booth paid for it and they left.

"Where else do we need to go Sweets, maybe dinner? You look like you could use a little something to eat." Booth suggested but Sweets was busy opening the prescription and immediately taking one.

"Things okay there Sweets?" Booth asked having watched the doctor immediately ingest a few pills.

"Fine I have a pounding headache and people keep asking me questions." Sweets said his hands covering his face where the bruises had faded but the cut scar remained on his forehead.

Brennan looked at it and wondered if Sweets other injuries had fully healed, it seemed like too little time had gone by based on the extensive damage. Taking the moment to look over her shoulder while Sweets rubbed his eyes she strained to read the prescription label of the bottle sitting in Sweets lap.

"So dinner Sweets?" Booth persisted.

"Ugh." Sweets moaned. "No thanks."

"Dr. Sweets you really should eat something. I know that pain killers tend to make one nauseous but it really is advisable." Brennan said as Sweets gave up.

"Fine but can I just take something home. The car is making me sick."

Booth didn't want to see that happen, not in his car. Brennan however doubted that Sweets had anything to get sick with, not with pants two sizes too big.

Booth decided to order for Sweets, much to Sweets irritating and received a heaping bag full of food. He said it next to him like a plate of dynamite, the smell alone making him sick as they headed back to his place.

"So Sweets, if you're not busy, you thinking about coming back to work?" Booth asked.

Sweets thought of taking another pill because Booth's questions were wearing him out. He had no desire to tell them that he had no desire to go back to work. Instead he went along with it.

"Oh, soon, I guess. No reason not to."

Booth smiled. "Yeah, routine is good, you're needed you know."

Booth was attempting to appeal to Sweets nature of being needed and wanted. Besides, if he got Sweets back to work, he could keep an eye on him.

"Yeah, well maybe I can go in for a bit tomorrow." Sweets offered and Booth beamed. Brennan hesitated but they had arrived at Sweets place.

He insisted he could make it to his place by himself and took his dinner and pills with him. He smiled and bid them good night and welcomed the quiet of his place. Once the pair were out of sight Sweets discarded the meal in the nearest trash and popped open the pill container.

* * *

It was bright and early the next morning when Booth headed to Sweets office. He flung open the door in his usual fashion to find the psychologist sitting at his desk.

"Hey Sweets, how you feeling today?" Booth asked noting that Sweets seemed less agitated and more at ease this morning. He did notice the suit was too big which would have made Sweets look young but something about his expressions have him a hardened and weathered look that made him look older.

"I feel fine agent Booth." Sweets said still tapping away.

"Catching up on email?" Booth asked.

"Yeah, got lots to go thru." Sweets said hoping Booth would leave. In truth he was just hitting the delete button. He didn't care to read any of them and he still hadn't mastered the ability to type either.

"Okay, well we'll catch up later okay?" Booth said and Sweets smiled and nodded.

* * *

A couple of hours later Sweets was bored with his email and found a patient had come to see him. He hadn't planned on it but Sweets welcomed the agent in. He was suffering from some sort of PTSD Sweets guessed but quickly yawned while he was talking. Sweets knew it was Rude but he didn't care.

He felt a little bad though because the man was glad that Sweets was back to work and Sweets sort of remembered visiting with him before. He used to be dead on with those sorts of things but he dismissed the urge to recollect much more as he moved into a mechanical mode. He invited the man to sit down as he picked up a notepad.

Sweets began to say the things he would normally say and at the right times. He looked up and nodded and went back to his notepad. He yanked at his tie which he felt was suffocating him and tossed it aside. He wasn't used to wearing suits and it was pretty obvious as he pulled at it.

An hour eventually passed, Sweets able to gauge the time more closely on his desire to find another pill than the clock. The man thanked Sweets for his time though he seemed unpleased with the session, as though he hadn't gotten what he hoped.

"I'm sure glad you weren't dead like the said at first." The agent said standing near the door.

"Excuse me?" Sweets asked.

"Yeah, they released a statement saying you were dead." He said and left.

Sweets found that very interesting. But only for a moment until he lost interest.

* * *

"Hey Sweets!" Booth said reappearing at his door again. Sweets resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the agent's return visit but smiled and nodded again.

Booth sat on the armchair of Sweets seat and saw the notepad in it. He figured it was from an earlier session and Booth wondered why Sweets had the patient draw such a poor doodle. Being that it was sitting in Sweets chair though, he realized the uneven lines were probably drawn by Sweets.

"Let's go to lunch okay?" Booth said taking his mind off the doodle. "Bones and them are coming, they want to see you, and you know, ask about a case."

Sweets thought it over for a moment and knew that it was easier to say yes than argue. Sweets followed Booth out to the car and kept up the light conversation. Booth noticed that yesterday Sweets was irritable and today he seemed to give a crap less, about anything. He knew something was up with the kid and he doubted he was shrinking. He was eager to talk to Brennan and get her thoughts.

They pulled up to the curb and Booth got out. Sweets struggled with the door for a moment and then tripped when he went to get out. It resulted in Sweets knee slamming against the ground. Booth rushed over but Sweets only stood up and brushed any dirt off.

"Whoa! Sweets you okay?!" Booth asked. He was sure that Sweets had shattered his knee cap with that fall. Even passerby stopped concerned, everyone was worried, but Sweets.

"What? Huh, no big deal. Just tripped." Sweets said shutting the door.

The passersby seemed impressed that he would be fine after such a fall. Booth was now just widely concerned.

* * *

Sweets put on big smiles and greeted everyone as he entered. He offered hugs though Brennan caught Booth's gaze and they shared the same thought, _this is an act._ Sweets sat down between Cam and Angela and acted a bit goofier than usual. When he realized it was too much he scaled it back, as though he behavior was made to order. He smiled as he accepted back his keys and wallet and commented he would be happy not to hoof it to work anymore causing them to laugh. Booth wondered how Sweets did get to work this morning.

"Sweetie I hope you're ordering a big lunch because you are much too thin." Angela announced causing the group to stop and stare. Sweets could feel his neck getting hot with the tension. He would have pulled at his tie but he had discarded it at the office.

"It's just this crazy medication that they gave me." Sweets said passing it off with a wave. "I'm good though."

"The Nemubuteral that they prescribed is a very strong pain killer." Brennan warned and they all seemed to pause, knowing what it was.

"Wow, Sweetie, are you sure you're fine? I mean, that's some powerful.."

"I'm fine!" Sweets nearly shouted and then broke out his boy next door grin. "Sorry, didn't mean to shout. I'm fine and it's just hard when everyone is poking at me."

The effect worked and they quickly left Sweets alone. Brennan and Booth exchanged glances as they watched the interaction. _You bet something is up -_their eyes said to each other.

None of them hardly noticed how quiet Booth and Brennan were at the meal as the rest of them laughed and carried on. Sweets ate his entire huge plate of food much to Angela's delight. As the meal ended they recalled they had to go back to work, a new case coming in.

"Poor girl, fifteen found dead and buried under the bleachers at the football field." Angela lamented.

Booth noted that Sweets made no inquiry into the case, very unlike him. He excused himself to the restroom causing the trio to turn to Booth and Brennan.

"Okay, what's up, you two are way too quiet." Hodgins remarked.

"Don't you think that Sweets is acting a little strangely?" Brennan asked.

"Well sure but he's on some pretty heavy goofballs." Hodgins suggested defending him.

"There's something else isn't there Booth?" Brennan said looking at him.

"Today, I stopped in to see him twice, he didn't seem to care I was even there." Booth said. "We talked about the case and he didn't ask, I mean come on, Sweets _always _asks! But we got here and he tripped, I mean he _slammed _down on his knee but he acted like it was nothing."

"You're saying he fell but it was like he was feeling no pain? While hepped up a highly addictive pain killer?" Cam asked, her diagnosis evident in her question.

"Oh crap." Angela said voicing all their thoughts collectively though far from eloquently.

"Where is he anyway?" Hodgins asked.

Booth was now walking the line of concerned and pissed off as he headed to the bathroom. He watched as another guy came running out of the bathroom as though something unpleasant was going on. Before he could get the door open Sweets was walking out and upon seeing Booth offered him a big smile.

"Cut the crap Sweets, did you get sick?"

"What? No way." Sweets lied unconvincingly.

"Well you've been gone a while and for a guy who doesn't like he's eaten in weeks you ate enough to make up for it."

The two men locked eyes. Sweets almost seemed to enjoy lying to Booth knowing there really wasn't much Booth could do about it. Booth realized that Sweets was right, if Sweets walked out of their lives right now there was nothing he could do. But Sweets didn't realize how much they cared. And someone had to, because Sweets didn't seem to give a damn about anything.


	12. Chapter 12

12.

_I certainly don't want anyone to get tired of me. I like to try and get the story all done in a reasonable about of time, otherwise I'll forget where I was going with it. I try and include the bold follow up so that in case I am remiss in getting a timely update then you can figure out pretty quickly where we left off. __J_

* * *

**Booth takes Sweets to get a prescription and Brennan identifies it as a very strong pain killer. Sweets reacts strangely from highly agitated to being completely carefree. He isn't eating due to the side effects of the pain killer. He goes back to work so people will leave him alone. Booth is glad Sweets is back at work so now he can keep an eye on him. Sweets is bored with work, deleting emails instead of reading them and doodling (poorly) instead of listening to patients. He trips on a curb and smashes his knee only for him to barely notice which causes Booth to become greatly alarmed. He goes to lunch with the group who also notice his lack of interest in cases as well as his own health. Booth realizes that Sweets may bolt due to his apathy but he doesn't want to see that happen.**

* * *

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Angela asked upon approach.

The two men continued locking eyes.

Booth's eyes narrowed. "We're going to the Jeffersonian, take a look at that case. All of us."

Sweets rolled his eyes but then shrugged.

"Sure." He added figuring it beat being bored in his office.

"Oh, we need to pay for lunch." Booth said reaching for his wallet. Now having his own Sweets reached for his as well. The rest had already paid and if Booth wasn't so pissed he would have offered to pay for Sweets but he had an experiment on his mind. He had seen Sweets wallet when they brought the evidence in and knew he had no cash in it.

The two went to the counter while the rest followed outside. Booth moved to let Sweets pay first and waited. Sweets handed over his card and waited as she handed him the receipt. Sweets got nervous.

"Booth, how about I get yours and meet you at the car?" Sweets offered.

"Nah, can't let you do that buddy." Booth said waiting closely.

Sweets looked back at the paper to sign it and wrapped his fingers awkwardly around the pen. Booth made no move to back up any. Instead of signing his name Sweets scribbled a line.

"Wow, your signature's really gone downhill Sweets, it used to be very, legible." Booth noticed handing over cash so he had no reason not to follow Sweets closely out the door.

"Yeah, well it's my new style." Sweets said opening the door, picking up the pace to walk to the group. "Hey Angela, how about I ride back with you and Hodgins, catch up and all?"

Brennan and Cam joined Booth and all exchanged a look of "what now?"

* * *

"So what's new Angela? Any new paintings?" Sweets asked trying to keep an alliance with at least one person.

Angela looked back at Sweets, equally trying to keep a communication line open. If Sweets finally wanted to talk about something she wanted there to be someone he could feel like he could talk to. She did notice however that he was rubbing his knee.

"Uh, yeah, I was working on a new piece actually. I can show it to you as soon as we get there." She said offering a smile.

"Hey Sweets you know that night, that uh, everything happened?" Hodgins began awkwardly. "Well, I found this infestation, a larva in the grooves of your shoes. You don't know where you could have come in contact with lice do you?"

Sweets found himself growingly agitated as he continued to rub his knee which was starting to hurt, a lot. He wondered why and idly remembered tripping out of Booth's SUV. His back was starting to hurt as well as a stinging in his chest and he knew the pills we wearing off. He was surprised since he had taken 4 just before lunch hoping that would see him thru. The doctor he was repressing within was shouting that this was a problem but he promptly ignored him.

"Sweets?" Hodgins asked since Sweets had been silent so long. "Lice?"

"Uh yeah Hodgins, no, I'm pretty sure I don't live in filth." Sweets said in a not so sweet tone.

"Well, no I know that, I just didn't know if you had been in someplace where there were, it's a unique strain and I ask because…."

"Shit Hodgins I don't know okay?" Sweets shouted now giving himself a headache. The two in the front seat had eyes as wide as they would go. They couldn't remember a time when Sweets had yelled or cussed. "How far is the damn Jeffersonian anyway?"

Angela & Hodgins looked at each other, _yeah, Booth has valid concerns _they thought to themselves as they arrived.

* * *

As they walked in the Jeffersonian Sweets knew he had blown his cool with Angela & Hodgins but as he searched for the bathroom he didn't care.

"Dr. Sweets, the platform is this way." Cam said as he walked the opposite way.

The fact he wasn't joining them didn't bother Cam nearly as much as the fact that she could tell he could hear her, but he totally blew her off from acknowledging her.

The five of them stood around the body on the platform with only one thing on their minds.

"Does he really think we don't notice?" Cam asked.

"It's like he doesn't even care." Angela said, obvious heart break in her voice.

"Well what do we do?" Hodgins asked at a loss for an answer of his own.

"Well I'd say we'd go to our resident shrink but he seems a bit broken." Booth said. "I don't know, maybe Gordon Wyatt? He's retired but he's the only one that I trust with Sweets."

While it was a simple statement that Booth made while thinking aloud it was obvious to the rest of them how high of regard Booth felt about Sweets friendship and making sure he got better.

"Well if Gordon says not then what? And what changed? I mean he seemed to be doing fine in rehab and at the hospital. Would they release him if he wasn't doing okay?" Angela said.

"The doctor suggested that he thought Sweets may have manipulated the system, getting an early release." Brennan said.

"So, he really shouldn't be out and working?" Cam asked.

"I'm not entirely sure he should even be out of the hospital." Brennan said, a small waver audible in her voice. "The injuries that Dr. Sweets sustained in that beating were incredibly severe. It's surprising he is even alive."

"And for him to be walking and going back to work in four weeks is…." Angela began.

"Something we all should have paid closer attention to." Booth finished for her.

* * *

The cold water was welcome over Sweets face. He took a look in the mirror at his thin face and baggy jacket. He didn't think he had ever not worn at tie at work. The doctor in him was shouting again reminding him that it was a problem and that in no way was he actually hiding it, not matter how much he fooled himself. He had taken more pills, three, maybe four, it was getting confusing and he was so tired. Losing his lunch he knew was inevitable but he ignored the doctor voice and ate it and threw it up anyway.

He wanted to make them feel better and not worry on the one hand and then minutes later he didn't care what they thought. He tried to figure out a way to deal with that, not actually solve it but manipulate it to work. He was so tired though, too tired to think and everything hurt, despite the pills. He popped one more for good measure knowing they were waiting on him.

* * *

Sweets spied them all on the platform and tried to remember why they came here. To keep an eye on him he figured but there was some other reason. _Oh yeah, a victim, a girl maybe? _ Sweets tried to remember, he used to be pretty good at remembering. He spotted something on a table in Hodgins area and eager to avoid conversation with the group he headed towards it.

On it he found clothes that seemed all too familiar, including the Converse he had been looking for. Well one of them, the other was poised in a stand under a magnifying glass and a case around all of it. He recalled Hodgins asking about bugs. It was strange to see his clothes on display like they were, little markers placed on them.

He looked at marker 9 and saw the spot with it. His mind flashed back to four weeks ago and someone spitting on him. He looked to marker 8 by the shirt's shoulder, a ring, slightly greasy was on it. He touched the same spot on his shoulder and could feel the pipe being thrust at him open ended. The memory made him feel like it was happening all over again. He looked to marker 31 on the shin area of the jeans, a partial footprint. He couldn't have guessed what foot it belonged to, they kicked him for so long it was a blur.

Rapidly blinking his eyes Sweets left the memory and backed into a table making a noise. Not wanting to alert anyone he quickly left the room and found himself in Angela's office. He stood inside and waited to see if anyone noticed. He saw them all still on the platform talking and exhaled a relief. _Yes, running from your friends is healthy_ the sarcastic doctor called to himself.

He rolled his eyes though at whom he wasn't sure. He noticed the piles of papers in Angela's office and figured they were from the case they were working on. He thought he would go ahead and scan thru them, that way when they inevitably asked him for input they would immediately discard and then revisit later, a habit he found exhausting and irritating. He picked up the files but instead of learning the victim's name he found his own.

At first he was angry that Angela would have his old medical records, filled with the secrets of his past but then he saw the dates were all from the last month. He thought of how the one thing in Hodgins office was Sweets clothes, the one thing in Angela's office was his records. He was their case, and even after a month they were still working on it. He wondered why, just to catch the gang? _It has to be more than that, sure they have that Mounty like attitude of catching their man, but this is more than that. _Sweets pondered why and recalled the police by his door when the realization hit him, _they're not the only one who wants to get their man._

The thought caused him to want to sit down a moment and as he did he tapped Angela's tablet causing her screen to leave its sleep mode. There was a video on the screen in the pause position. Sweets looked over his shoulder to see them all talking still so he decided to push the pause button.

There was a computer generated man standing on a sidewalk. He watched as the man was approached by a group of men. For the next two minutes he watched as the man was beaten. Sweets noticed his heart rate increase as he watched it. It was strange to see it from this perspective. It didn't surprise him, Angela did this sort of rendition often, but he had never been the victim in one before.

It didn't take long, Sweets remembered it seeming like an eternity. He cautiously pressed play again, and again, and each time now he relived the incident clearer each time, blow by blow that felt incredibly real.

* * *

"So what about this case?" Booth asked.

"Your mind really on the case?" Cam asked and Booth nodded 'no.' "Because I can't seem to get my mind off Sweets long enough to concentrate on it.

It wasn't like Cam to not feel professional but after their lunch no one could blame her.

"Hodgins, what about that bug thing you found in Sweets shoe, anything on that yet? I'd like to see those guys in jail. Besides the way Sweets is acting, those guys aren't helping." Angela added.

"Well I'm literally waiting to 'get the bug out'." Hodgins said adding a grin and then stopping. "If I'm right about this infestation nest they've built then it's a very rare form of larvae. We can tie one or maybe multiple members to the scene if they brought that bug with them to the scene and it implanted in Sweets shoe when they were kicking him."

"Where is he anyway?" Angela asked looking around and saw the soft glow of the screen coming from her office.

* * *

_Hope you like updates. It's looking like an update kind of day._


	13. Chapter 13

13.

_Hope this is still working. It's much more involved and longer than I originally imagined and am constantly concerned this is really getting away._

* * *

**The group heads back to the Jeffersonian and at this point even Sweets' inner doctor self is figuring out that things are bad despite his efforts to ignore every important sign. The team discusses what to do with Sweets while Sweets discovers he is an active case at the Jeffersonian and the reason being the gang is still looking for him. His desire to not remember anything about that night is forced when he comes upon his clothes in evidence and the video rendering of his near life ending beating.**

* * *

Sweets reached for his pocket and holding the prescription bottle to his lips took an unknown amount of them, his attention fixed on the images on the screen. He knew he had watched the depiction more than six times but he couldn't swear it was under a dozen. Every time the two minutes ran out he started it over, and each time it came back clearer than the last time. Each virtual strike reminded him too acutely how much every bone and muscle burned and stung with agony, in present time.

"Oh God." Angela said as they approached the room, stopping to place her hand over her mouth as she watched Sweets sit with his back to them, engrossed not in a Star Wars flick but in her computer rendering. Sweets had yet to notice them.

Booth stepped ahead of them and motioned for them to give them a moment. They obliged but only a few feet, they felt a need to be close still.

Booth slipped in the room and peered at the near empty prescription bottle in Sweets hand. It was a full bottle they picked up less than 24 hours ago, further deepening the crease in his forehead.

Booth tried to gently clear his throat but Sweets' connection to the images on the screen were intense. Booth put his hand on Sweets' forearm causing Sweets to turn to him, breaking the gaze.

"Agent Booth." Sweets said in a dry voice. "I was uh…" Sweets looked at the prescription bottle with an embarrassment and put the lid on it. We went to put it in his pocket when Booth took it out of his hand.

"You know we need to talk right?" Booth asked and Sweets looked away rubbing his forehead.

"You never want to talk, what's changed?" Sweets asked sarcastically.

"You've changed dummy."

Booth couldn't stand the images on the screen replaying and hit pause after a few irritated tries and fails.

"Look at you! You look like hell, you don't eat, you're eating pills like they're damn candy, you're up, you're down, you obviously can't use your hands and you're hiding all of this from the people who care about you. I think you know how cruel and damn small this world can be Sweets - don't shut these people out." Booth's voice had gone from angry to yielding at the end.

"It's not your burden, I can handle this." Sweets said, garbled as Sweets had a funny taste in his mouth.

"Sweets I don't think you can even make it to the car on your own right now, let alone to the doorway." Booth challenged him.

Sweets felt angry and hot. The room felt a little strange like it was becoming a Tilt-a-Wheel he hadn't planned on riding. He had a feeling he must have been swaying as well or Booth wouldn't have challenged him.

Still, he was filled with pride. "No, no I'm fine, just give me the, uh, the pills back and I'll go back to work or wherever I'm supposed to go."

Sweets genuinely couldn't remember what he was supposed to be doing, was he going somewhere? Did they have a case? Was the day over?

"Sweets I think we should go back to the hospital, a doctor at least."

Booth's suggestion caused Sweets to stand up and shake his head.

"No, I'm fine Booth." Sweets said though the crowd outside the door was about as convinced as someone trying to sell them a live wire. "I just need my pills and I'll be fine."

_Oh Jesus _Booth thought to himself _Sweets is turning into a junkie. _He looked at the emaciated, shaky, confused, swaying man standing in front of him reaching out for the bottle of pills. It killed him to see Sweets like this and he knew he had to stop the kid before he started begging for them.

"Sweets," Booth began calmly inching towards Sweets. Sweets was near the corner of the room, taking on the look of a caged animal. "Sweets listen to me. How about we go someplace and we get you different pills, _better pills_."

Booth knew that merely forcing Sweets to the doctor wasn't going to work. But apparently Sweets saw thru this plan as well.

"Forget it Booth." Sweets said turning towards the door. "I'll get it myself."

He didn't get far as the rest of them had moved in, trapping him in, installing a wild and ambushed look on Sweets face.

"No, you don't get to do this crap!" Sweets yelled. It took everything Angela could muster not to break out in tears. She held her resolve. Sweets was about to try a "hey look over there" approach and run when they collectively moved closer making a direct escape possible.

"Sweets we care…" Cam began when Sweets slapped her in the face.

Five eyes widened as large as their sockets would hold them and Sweets took the pause to rush past them. Booth's face was a mass of emotions as he chased after the doctor, nearing the doors when Booth pulled on Sweets jacket pulling Sweets to the floor. Sweets barked a deep cry as he fell, the crack muffled under the scuffle.

The wrestle was no contest, Booth may as well have been struggling with a handkerchief. Still Sweets lay on the floor and reached his broken fingers up towards Booth's breast pocket where the pills lie. Booth's eyes enlarged in disbelief, seeing how badly Sweets still wanted them.

"Here!" Booth said letting Sweets go to crash back on the floor and took the pills out and threw the bottle at him. "**You just hit one of the people who cares most about you and you want your damn pills!"**

Sweets rolled to his side and struggled to open the bottle as the rest of the group encircled them.

"Oh crap Booth, he might actually need it." Angela said upon seeing Sweets leg from the knee twisted in an unnatural position.

Cam and Brennan having forgotten the slap immediately looked at it while Angela pried the bottle from Sweets hand. It wasn't too difficult but Sweets still tried to get away. Hodgins held him down by the shoulder while Booth looked down at the scene, running his hands thru his hair. He hadn't heard the crack until he thought back to it. _Shit, I was angry, I didn't mean to, I just wanted to stop him, shit, shit, shit. _He repeated over and over to himself.

"The fibula may be broken." Brennan said moving her hand over it. "Or at least a fracture to the tibia."

"I didn't mean to pull that hard." Booth said still in a subdued panic mode.

"I would say that the other injuries and Dr. Sweets weakened health had more to do with it." Cam said examining him as well. "Someone of his age and normal health should not have even more than a bruise from that."

"We need to get him medical treatment to set this." Brennan said.

"I'll get the car. It's faster than an ambulance." Booth said anxious to leave and be helpful, not hurtful.

"Okay, let's get him to do door." Brennan said and they collectively began to scoop Sweets off the floor, the violence of before forgotten as the current situation superseded it. As they raised gather up Sweets however he sucked in air exhibiting signs of great pain.

"Hodgins!" Angela nagged.

"What?! I'm not doing anything, I don't even have the keg, I'm carry his shoulders." Hodgins said defensively.

"Wait." Cam said and they sat Sweets back on the ground. With deft fingers she moved her hands across Sweets chest and every light touch caused a wince to a near yelp in pain. Brennan followed suit and checked him as well with similar results.

Brennan's eyes widened, "Dr. Sweets is not taking the pain killers because of an addiction, he is truly in constant pain."

"Let's go." Hodgins said now anxious to get Sweets help. "Sweets it's gonna hurt but we gotta move you."

Sweets seems practically unresponsive at this point as they neared the door. Angela put her fingers on Sweets neck.

"Guys, his pulse is pretty erratic." She announced.

"It's the pills in his system." Cam announced. "Dammit, we should have acted sooner."

Booth pulled his SUV to the doors and together they put Sweets in the back seat. Booth cringed as he had seen this play out only a month before.

"It's getting late, I think the doctor is out." Booth suggested shutting the door.

"I think the hospital is going to be the best." Brennan said getting in the front door.

"County is nearest." Booth announced and he left for the driver's seat.

The other three left in the direction of their own vehicle.

* * *

"Yeah man I lost them at a light after they left that diner." Tinker said in the cell. "How they hell do I know where they are? I'm heading home. I'm hungry."

"You ain't gonna be hungry when that guy ID's you, he's back at work, he probably spent the day going all sorts of evidence. The longer we wait the more screwed we are." Big-D, shouted. "DJ-D is still in the clink man, the only way we're getting him out is if that guy doesn't testify, or we'll all gonna be jail birds."

"Hey!" The driver behind the wheel announced to his hefty passenger Tinker. "Aint' that the SUV?"

"We're on it man." Tinker said hanging up.

* * *

Booth was almost to the onramp when a black Lincoln pulled up in front of him and slammed on his breaks, another car stopping by Brennan, the man quickly exiting pointing his gun at her head.

Booth was stunned, unable to do anything and risk Brennan being shot.

"Unlock the doors man." Tinker shouted. He knew this was a bold move and one he would be legendary for. "We don't want you or the lady, but what's in the back seat, I know he rides around with you everywhere man, I know he's back there."

"No." Booth mouthed to the punk.

Abruptly the back door opened on its own and they all turned to see Sweets roll out of the car on the ground having let himself out. Unable to stand or do anything on his own he merely crumpled to the ground.

Tinker approached Sweets as the other three kept their guns trained on Booth and Brennan, powerless to do anything but watch Sweets be dragged across the pavement and thrown in the trunk of the Lincoln. After it was far away the other car and driver gunman left as well in a different direction.


	14. Chapter 14

14.

**Sweets is absent mindedly munching on a bottle of strong pain killers while reliving his beating via computer rendering. Booth attempts to confront the very strangely acting Sweets and realizes he's got a fairly serious addiction to the pills. Booth takes them from Sweets causing an unplanned intervention. Sweets slaps Cam and turns to run when Booth catches up with him and in trying to stop him, pulls him causing Sweets leg to fracture. Knowing that under normal circumstances this would not have caused this reaction, the team sidelines Sweets behavior and assess the injury only to find that his old injuries are very much still very painful and in the present, causing the need for the pain killers. Realizing their young friend has been in a great amount of pain and shouldn't have left the hospital they plan to take him back. On the way the gang spots Booth's SUV and intervenes, forcing him to stop where they demand Sweets. When Booth denies the request, Sweets lets himself out of the vehicle and the gang puts him in the trunk and drives away leaving Booth feeling helpless while a gun is pointed at himself and Brennan.**

* * *

Booth watched as the vehicles drove away and felt his heart pound. He knew that as things stood they had lost a member of their team for good this time. Booth figured he could call in the car and see if HQ had a beat on it or anything else about the gang but he doubted they would take Sweets anywhere they had been before. Booth's gut wrenched as he knew the next time they saw Sweets he would be dead at a crime scene.

Booth was about to throw up when his cell rang, Cam calling, undoubtedly at the hospital wondering where they were. He almost didn't answer so he could call it in, he felt so uncharacteristically frozen and helpless. Even Brennan stood by in the same mode. Booth didn't look forward to briefly telling Cam what had happened.

"Finally Seeley how long does it take you to pick up!? We can't follow these guys forever!" Cam shouted in the phone. She could hear they were in a fast moving vehicle.

"What? Where are…"

"We were a distance behind you and saw the whole thing. We went around the block and picked up behind the Lincoln. We're following it now but we need some help here before we lose them!" Cam shouted in the phone.

"I won't lose them." Hodgins said with a determination that terrified Cam and Angela. Cam was half impressed with Hodgins driving and Angela was a bit turned out but they were both equally filled with terror as the super charged Mini Cooper took the next hairpin turn.

Booth in the meantime jumped in the car and Brennan followed his energy. He had Brennan call Cam so she could stay in touch with her and he called in back up. The SUV sped ahead in the direction Cam gave them.

Brennan tugged on her seat belt once to be sure it was on but she eagerly listened and relayed directions to Booth as they sped along the roads. The sun was setting giving everything that golden late afternoon light. If this went on too long however it would be night and their vision lost, easy to lose the car.

"Turn on 5th and Prospect!" Cam shouted and Brennan instantly relayed it to Booth who was trying to cut the route and get there. "There's a cop!" Cam shouted.

"Back up arrived." Brennan announced. Booth was glad but now they knew someone was on to them.

"This is officer Bridges and Stalcup. We are following the suspect in a Lincoln, black plate 77N DI3 is that correct?" Stalcup announced over the radio that Booth could hear thru HQ.

Brennan asked Cam who confirmed it was.

"Glad to see you again guys." Booth announced.

"With it were under better circumstances." Brides shouted. "We'll get him this time."

"Be aware that Sweets is in the trunk of that car." Booth warned them.

"Copy Agent Booth, we'll avoid contact with the rear of the vehicle." Stalcup announced and continued to relay information to other officers soon on the scene.

Booth was glad they weren't alone but he felt a jolt as something hit the back of the vehicle. He looked back to see the vehicle that had pulled up beside them behind him with Big-D driving

"Oh, don't play with me, kid. Not today." Booth said though he wished Brennan wasn't in the car with him. Booth maneuvered away from the car but it sped up as though to come beside them which Booth did not want - to have a side by side shoot out.

Booth sped up as the two cars raced down the parkway near side by side.

They were both nearing the location of the Mini Cooper driven by Hodgins following the Lincoln. A helicopter flew over and Booth was relieved to find more back up but he knew that this also meant the gang of criminals was going to become more desperate in their actions.

The car continued to creep up next to Booth's SUV and luckily the abandoned streets in the bad part of town were hardly occupied. Booth heard more sirens approach, one in particular and saw the Stalcup Bridges driven car ahead, just ahead of them was the Mini Cooper and Hodgins who refused to pull over with the support of Angela & Cam and the Lincoln.

The associate vehicle was almost upon Booth who knew he had to lose them.

"Hold tight." Booth instructed Brennan as Booth checked his seat belt then slammed on the breaks, sending the car flinging past them too fast to get any shots off. Before coming to a stop Booth floored the accelerator running down the other vehicle, slamming it so hard in the back it sent it off the road and into the front of a partially dilapidated brick building.

Booth watched in the rear view mirror as the cops behind him covered the crashed vehicle. A small sense of triumph came across his face. Of the 7 left that was two more down though he was probably going to have to answer for that. He was pretty sure Sweets would back up his state of mind in an evaluation, that is if he could get to Sweets in time.

Booth floored the accelerator once more and the trio of cars came into view. Brennan announced to Cam that they were there and Hodgins began to back off some. He had reserves that if they entered too residential of an area that the cops would have to back off by policy, and he wasn't letting Sweets out of his sight, he too knew if they lost him Sweets was going to be in a body bag (s).

Booth sped ahead, Stalcup and Bridges next to him now as they motioned ahead to the police barricade across the street ahead. Booth knew they would have every side street blocked off as well. He wondered where the rest of the cops were, he knew now. Stalcup & Bridges were forcing the Lincoln into their hands. Booth had grin at how brilliant it was. Only the Lincoln wasn't slowing down.

They were running out of blocks ahead and not slowing down any. The Lincoln began to swerve as it looked for a side street to turn on but saw they were all blocked. The police cruiser began to slow but Booth stayed with the Lincoln as it began to swerve worse, looking for an outlet that didn't exist.

Abruptly the Lincoln accelerated as though it were going to try and crash thru the line of police cruises blocking the road when the back seat and front seat passenger lunged for the wheel causing it to deviate too far and too fast to the right instantly sending the car to flip.

"Nooooo!" Brennan shouted from the passenger seat as Booth slammed to a stop as the car made a second flip before smashing on the side into the building on the right.

Booth pulled up behind the car as it lay stopped, Bridges and Stalcup with weapons drawn to those in the cab of the car. One was obviously dead with a snapped neck, the other lay screaming in the front seat as he was pinned in place and the driver, though dazed reached for the door.

"Don't think so bud." Stalcup said and he raised his hands.

Brennan was at the back of the truck eager to open it. Stalcup tried the trunk release but the trunk was stuck shut from being crushed against the building in the collision. Booth approached with a crowbar. Stalcup handcuffed the driver and told the other man screamed to be quiet, he shouldn't have caused the collision. The rest pretended not to hear incase asked for they quite agreed.

Booth tugged at the trunk lid, struggling to get it to open. He wanted in that trunk _now _and then again part of him didn't want to find an even more mangled Sweets in it, dead like the one in the back seat.

Something was pricking at his eyes but he ignored it as his heart pounded and he pulled at the metal that wouldn't budge. Brennan continued to look for a gap between the metal to try and help. Bridges now had a second crowbar and together the metal buckled under their strength allowing the lid to open.

Sweets lay in the trunk, unmoving. Booth and Bridges took a step back allowing Brennan to reach in just as the Mini Cooper arrived, its riders departing towards them.

"I've got a pulse!" Brennan shouted and the officers immediately motioned for an ambulance.

Booth breathed a single breath but not more as they were far from out of the woods. Cam rushed forward to help Brennan. Brennan ran her hands along Sweets neck as few would be more adept at detecting a broken neck than she.

"Is that gas?" The officer asked. There was a good possibility that the gas line had ruptured and the smallest charge could set the car aflame.

After what seemed an eternity to some and seconds to her she nodded to Cam suggesting they could move Sweets from the trunk. As soon as the nod came Booth stepped forward to help move the lean and broken man from the trunk.

They moved a distance away as the car was sprayed down with foam to keep it from igniting. The other man had been pulled from the car once the seat was moved and he sat holding his shattered shoulder. It was difficult to tell on Sweets what was an injury from the car accident, the gang beating, the malnutrition and pain killer addiction, and then Booth's broken leg.

Brennan continued to check bones, his possibly fractured tibia was now definitely broken. Sweets was much too quiet for all this pain and it worried them all, though no one said anything. Cam examined Sweets head which was cut with blood dripping. Sweets dark brown eyes flashed at her and she paused in her examination. His eyes were calm except for the redness infused in the areas that should have been white. Sweets face winced slightly as he cleared his throat.

"Dr. Sweets, please…" Cam urged but stopped. She couldn't hear what he had said and while it was best he didn't talk she couldn't help but see he was desperate to say something. She leaned in as the whir of the loud approaching ambulance was going to make it hard.

Sweets cleared his throat again. "Cam I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I hit you. I'm so sorry."

Cam put her fingers over Sweets lips. "I know Sweets, I know." Her voice failed her as she repeated it. The desperation in his eyes, not from pain but for forgiveness stung her body. A paramedic approached and Cam stepped aside though Brennan was still talking about injuries. Cam did her best to follow along and the two jumped in the ambulance as it quickly sped away.

"We should go now right?" Angela asked to Hodgins and Booth who were just standing there staring at the box on wheels as it sped away.

"Yeah, let's, uh let's go." Hodgins said but Booth stood firm. "Booth you coming?"

Booth still stared at the ambulance as it left. He wanted to be sure the lights didn't go off, the sign that they had lost their patient and therefore no reason for it be in a hurry. It disappeared from sight, still flashing and honking at last sight.

"No, you guys go. Call me when you know something. I have something to do." Booth's mouth was in a firm line. They knew he was pissed and the place he didn't need to be was cooped up in a waiting room. They nodded and left. Once they were gone Booth turned to the passenger who cuddled his broken arm awaiting another ambulance. As Booth walked to the man Bridges and Stalcup came closer in his wake.

"You." Booth said inches from the man.

"Hey, where's my ambulance?" He shouted. "This is discrimination."

Booth picked up the man and tossed him back against the wall. "It's hardly discrimination if I don't beat the crap out of you. Then it'd all be even wouldn't it?!" Booth hissed as he grabbed the broken shoulder and twisted it. The man cried in pain as Stalcup & Bridges stood behind Booth, an outer barrier or protection. The other cops looked up but having seen the man's handy work on the downed agent they were well aware of, they went back to their paper work.

"What the hell is wrong with you man?" The pained gang member shouted.

"Oh is this too much?" Booth asked twisting more. "Was that too much for Sweets when you beat him in what 8 to one?"

"Nine to one man, that little shit was there too."

"You admit it then?" Booth asked pushing in on the broken bone. He had to admit, he was feeling much better.

"Yeah so you'll stop."

Booth let off the pressure but kept his hand in place.

"You know what happened that night man, afterwards, you picked up the kid. DJ-D said the kid would fold so he said to take Barry out, so Tinker did it. The only one left was that dude but we couldn't get to him in the hospital, then he was gone, don't know where he was." The man was panting as he spoke. Booth knew Sweets was in rehab then.

"Then we found him again, followed him around a while until it was right, thought maybe he wasn't going to do nothing then he was at the FBI building with you. What's a doctor doing there besides snitchin?!."

"Yeah he works there dumbass." Booth added to the kid's confused look. Booth didn't feel like giving him a bio on Sweets so he motioned for him to continue.

"Tinker thought he could get him from you, didn't want to kill a fed, took the doc but then, well here we are."

Booth tried to decide why this one was so confessional all of a sudden.

"And why should I believe you?" Booth asked.

"Man, I didn't think you were gonna get us, you got us, it's time for one of us to make good on this deal."

"Where's the rest of them?" Booth's voice was deep and menacing.

"Man I don't…" The kid said as Booth's hand pressed in _hard_ on the broken bone.

"Ah! Stop! 8th and Brooklyn, knock twice and tap once." The kid shouted and Booth let go.

The kid fell to the ground as Bridges called it in.

"What do you want to do?" Stalcup asked.

"Let's go." Booth said as Bridges smiled.

* * *

"We got a plan here Agent Booth?" Bridges asked as the quickly assembled team donned bullet proof vests including many agents who quickly volunteered for the job. Stalcup & Bridges were familiar with the area and allowed them to quietly slip thru the narrow buildings undetected.

"Simple. We get the bad guys."

Everyone nodded back as Booth knocked twice, tapped one and then busted down the door. In the commotion he didn't hear phone ring.


	15. Chapter 15

15.

**Cam, Hodgins & Angela were close and yet far enough behind Booth's SUV to be able to follow the getaway car. With the location known a high speed pursuit is in order only for the police cruise barricade to cause the driver to stop too soon, flipping the car with Sweets in the trunk. The broken and apologetic Sweets is taken to the hospital, again, while Booth goes after the gang Wyatt Earp/Tombstone style.**

* * *

"Booth!" Brennan shouted rushing to her partner as he walked into the hospital where they were she was standing and pacing the halls. "Are you okay!?" She asked seeing the splattered blood on his arm below his black tee. She noticed he was no longer wearing his suit.

"Yeah, it's not mine." Booth said in the tone he used when he had to take someone's life but didn't like it.

"What happened?" Brennan asked her eyes wide. She had been worried when Booth did not arrive when the others did nor answer his cell.

"We got hem Bones. All of them." Booth said. For the first time in over a month he felt like he could finally relax. He sat down, exhausted. Brennan followed by sitting next to him. "And with enough evidence and other counts of criminal activity they're going to be busy for quite a long time."

"That's great news Booth." Brennan said realizing that what was off Booth's mind the most was the overall worry for Sweets future and not being tracked down again.

"How is he?" Booth asked, almost avoiding the question.

"Bad. But he's going to be okay." It was almost out of character for her to say and Booth recognized how worried she had been. "Cam and I rode along, I didn't want some gang member showing up or some doctor not knowing what had happened before so we wouldn't leave his side." She looked adamant but unsure if that was the right thing to do.

"That's good Bones." Booth said running his hand on her cheek. "Now what do you mean bad?"

"Are you okay Seeley?!" Cam said approaching with wide eyes.

"Yeah, it's…" Booth said not wanting to repeat about the life he took while hoping desperately his own friends life was intact. Cam knew what he meant and dropped it.

"Everything okay?" Brennan asked worried something had changed since she left the room.

"No, no!" Cam said reassuring her. Booth could tell by her demeanor that things were not as tense and began to breathe more evenly. "No, I had to step out to get Sweets to stop apologizing."

Cam was still smiling but she had a sadness in her eyes.

"So he's talking?" Booth asked hoping to finally get more details.

"Oh yes." Cam said. "He's got a broken leg, and some of the ribs that weren't healed yet are broke again and a concussion. We've been talking to him to keep him awake. He can rest in a bit but then we'll have to wake him again. Dr. Brennan was just going for coffee and didn't come back so I was coming to check."

"Oh, right." Brennan said remembering why she was in the hall.

"I'll go." Cam said. "Why don't you take Booth to see Sweets. I think he'd like to see you."

Booth nodded. It wasn't easy to see a male friend at his worst and certainly not in a hospital. The last time he saw Sweets he broke his leg before pulling him out of the trunk of a crashed car. Therapy seemed like child's play now.

* * *

The pair walked in the room to find Angela combing Sweets hair up in the air. Hodgins giggled and a muffled laugh came from the bed.

"Well I think it looks better than how you have it mashed down all the time." Angela said admiring her handy work. "You look carefree!" She said with a smile.

"Or drunk." Hodgins kidded.

Booth felt his shoulders relax at the atmosphere this time thought he laughter stopped when Booth walked in.

"Hey there action figure guy." Hodgins said to Booth noting his black tee and cargo pants.

Angela noticed it as well. 'What were you up to? Oh…" She said stopping having figured it out. Sweets did too.

"Everything is good." Booth said. "it's over."

The mood lifted again, a certain pressure was gone.

"How are you doing Sweets?" Booth asked trying not be all 'weird and hiding emotions' guy.

Sweets cleared his throat. "Better, though strange for being worse."

"We'll get there." Booth said and they all picked up on the inclusion pronoun.

"Well, we need to pick up Michael Vincent." Angela announced. "I trust though that someone else has the next shift?" Hodgins stood to join her.

"Oh, you guys don't have to…" Sweets stopped from talking as a rush of pain came to his head causing him to raise his hand to it.

"Dr. Sweets does that hurt?" Brennan asked slowly.

"It's fine, I uh…" Sweets said.

"No, when it hurts we tell people right?" Brennan said in as condescending mode as she could muster.

"I'll get the doctor." Cam said from the door handing the two coffee cups she could carry to Booth and turning to leave.

"Maybe we should stay." Angela said pausing.

"No, I don't want to be a burden really, I'm fine." Sweets said sitting up too fast.

"Yeah, we'd like to believe you but we've been around you the last two days." Booth said. "We're good, you guys pick up your kiddo. Bones, maybe you pick up our kiddo? I'll keep an eye on Crash Banda coop over here." Booth said sitting with the cup of coffee.

"We'll be back in the morning." Angela promised giving Sweets a peck on the cheek.

"Sorry bud, no kiss from me." Hodgins said with a smile.

"Good." Sweets said coping with the pain but eased by the fact that the feeling of the room had so much warmth to it, that this time he knew he should genuinely accept.

With just Booth & Sweets in the room it suddenly seemed too quiet.

"If you move fast you can have that coffee before Cam comes back." Booth said joking.

"I'm sorry Booth, for everything I…"

"Sweets don't." Booth said interrupting. "It was a bad deal, we could have all done things different, and we all have things to apologize for." Booth said inferring the broken bone. He wasn't going to mention it because he knew Sweets would only apologize again for running and so on. "You just have to promise me something this time Sweets, you _have _to promise to let us help, to say something okay?"

Sweets still felt unsure of burdening his friends. Booth seemed sincere but they had kids, lives of their own. He realized he would never feel fully comfortable by putting that on them. Booth noticed that Sweets hadn't answered yet but at least he was considering it this time.

"I killed two people today Sweets." Booth said not looking at him. "I didn't want, they pulled a gun and I shot them. They were the ones that did that to you. I shot two people and worried for the last month that I'd lost one of my team, my friend. I don't have a lot of friends. And while you used to drive me crazy, well, I missed you the last month. So if you decide to come back to being a psychologist one day, I've got some stuff I need to talk about."

It wasn't a soliloquy, but Booth hardly touched on his feelings. Sure Sweets knew that Booth didn't like taking lives, even when necessary, he knew too that Booth thought well of him, but it meant a great deal that he meant that much to him.

Cam stood by the door and listened for a moment then waited as she heard a set of snores. Both men, now relaxed, had fallen asleep.

* * *

"Daddy!" A small voice said waking him.

Booth opened his eyes to see Christine coming at him. Her face would always make him smile. Brennan sat down bags of food on the table quietly.

"What's wrong with Uncle Sweets? He looks awful!" She announced.

"Shhh, honey." Booth said putting his finger to his lips. "We can't wake him. He fell down and got some big boo-boos."

"I'd say he fell down a lot!" The little girl whispered.

"How is he?" Brennan asked removing food from the bag.

"You didn't have to come back Bones." Booth said but welcomed the smell of food.

"I wanted to." Brennan said. She couldn't imagine being anyplace but there at the moment. "Besides, shouldn't we be waking him soon or wait for the nurse?"

"How is he Bones?" Booth asked. He wanted the unedited version that only Brennan would give. "Like the pills."

"They'll treat him and the right way. We'll all make sure of that."

* * *

The days turned into weeks as each of the team stopped in, not too often to feed Sweets' guilt but often. Soon he was moving, dexterity restored to his hands as he and Brennan battled over chess games. Gordon stopped by with samples of food he was testing out. Angela was soon able to tease Sweets that he now had a little something humans like to call "body fat." Booth still thought the young man was too thin but he didn't say it. Instead he just privately asked Bones how he was doing, _really doing_. She assured him this time around he was doing much better.

His leg still in a cast even when he was discharged the following week. He was reluctantly placed in the Booth home for a week more and after two days gave up on protesting. He knew he would never get up the steps to his apartment and didn't know why he thought otherwise. The doctor said it would be another week to remove the cast and while Sweets wanted to object about being a burden this time he said nothing and instead offered a simple thank you.

That week the others stopped by for dinners and visits. While they had done that before they did something they hadn't before, discussed the case.

"What's going on?" Sweets asked tugging at his sweatshirt. He was finding the casual attire uncomfortable and admired their fitted dress clothes everyone else seemed to be wearing.

"Oh another girl was found like the last one, under the bleachers." Angela said wiping her mouth.

The continued to discuss the case and Booth noticed Sweets listening. He said nothing. Later that night Booth got up and walked downstairs to find Sweets not sleeping on the couch as usual (where there were no stairs) and instead at the table surrounded in pages of the case file.

"Whatcha doin' Sweets?" Booth asked.

"Well I was listening to you guys and I've found what I suspected. Both of the victims were found in cheerleader uniforms, but they weren't on the squad. Okay, that you knew but they were both in this class, a Mr. VanHecke. He was charged but those charges were dropped three times for inappropriate touching. His daughter was the one who dropped the charges."

"Okay?"

"Booth, his daughter was the captain of the cheerleaders!"

"So he was sexually abusing his daughter."

"Yeah." Sweets said. "She must have said no and he went elsewhere, tried to make the girls like her."

"We didn't catch that." Booth said sitting across from Sweets at the table. "Good work, we'll pick him up before any more bodies turn up."

Sweets continued to look thru the notes. Booth wasn't sure if he was about to push his luck or not. The last time Sweets wanted nothing to do with psychology.

"How's the leg?"

"Better, hope this thing can get off soon. I just want to get out you know?"

"You're looking better."

"Thanks. I feel, _a lot _better."

Booth went for it. "So uh, you wanna go to work tomorrow, catch some bad guys?"

Sweets stopped flipping thru pages, considered what was ultimately being asked.

"Yeah, can you give me a ride?" Sweets asked knowing the answer.

"I think we can exchange it for some of that coffee of yours, if you're up to it."

"Yeah, I think so. Maybe one day we can talk about those things on your mind too."

Booth smiled. Their shrink was back.

* * *

_The End. Or is it? Should I write another story? I mean Sweets has been shot, kidnapped, tortured, suffered hypothermia, psychological breakdowns, electroshock therapy, beaten up, suffered an explosion, drug addiction, poisoned, car accidents and in general had some bad days worthy of death metal. Has he had enough? Of course not! Let's write another one..._


End file.
